Cinnamon Bidwell, PhD
Institute of Cognitive Science Faculty, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

Duncan Mackie, PhD
Director of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, MedPharm Holdings

This project constitutes an independent and comprehensive evaluation of cannabis product label claims and testing infrastructure in the State of Colorado. The primary aim is to determine the actual cannabinoid potency (via independent testing in authentic cannabis products found in the Colorado Retail Cannabis marketplace) and compare to the claimed potency found on the label. Over the course of 3 years, 480 authentic cannabis products will be randomly selected and purchased from state-licensed retail dispensaries from four basic categories: flower/joints, edible/ingestible, concentrate, and other/infused. Each product will be independently and blindly analyzed for cannabinoid content, and, in later years of the study, relevant contaminants will also be determined. Should systematic deviations be detected, secondary analyses will disentangle whether these deviations occur across specific product types and whether inaccurate testing stems from specific state-licensed laboratories. Results will be rapidly disseminated to state policymakers and the public. In addition, repeated product testing each year of the three-year study will allow the determination of whether the testing accuracy improves over the course of the study. The resulting information will be highly relevant to our state’s testing policies and procedures, as well as to our patient and user community. The proposed work represents a collaboration among leading cannabis scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder (UCB) and MX, LLC, a Denver-based company with Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) Occupational and Research and Development licenses. This landmark proposal is the first of its kind in two ways: First, no prior study has systematically tested the full range of cannabis products sold in our state retail market. The proposed work will allow a direct comparison of product content to product labels, enabling an independent quantification of any systematic biases that may exist across product types or testing facilities. Second, the project represents a novel collaboration among scientists bridging academia and the cannabis industry. Only MX, LLC has the state licenses to handle and analyze cannabis products for research purposes. In turn, Dr. Bidwell at UCB will serve as an independent academic partner, with the expertise to inform an unbiased, rigorous design, complete skilled data management, and analysis, and lead the investigative team in rapidly publishing and disseminating these critical, public health-relevant findings.