Managing a Cannabis Lab

How to survive the challenges of the cannabis testing industry

Managing any laboratory can be challenging in the best of times, but managing a cannabis testing laboratory comes with a unique set of concerns. Since the industry is relatively new and extremely competitive, information about managing a cannabis testing laboratory is not often shared. An important next step in the growth of this industry will be the open discussion and even debates about cannabis lab management as these insights become common knowledge.

The management of a cannabis laboratory is an interesting combination of understanding which principles to apply from other more mature industries and an awareness of which challenges are specific to cannabis. A robust quality system and requirements for technical expertise are similar to food, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic testing industries, but the lack of consensus methods, variety of state regulations, and complexity of matrix are unique to cannabis. These challenges and the inherent volatility of a developing industry necessitate a certain creativity in dealing with constant fires and flexibility to pivot rapidly in order to run a successful laboratory.

Running a cannabis lab: the four phases

Most cannabis laboratories are built from the ground up due to the scarcity of existing laboratories in areas deemed to be suitable for cannabis licenses and also due to very specific requirements for regulatory compliance testing.  [Read More @ Lab Manager]