We’ve already seen all sorts of cannabis businesses join the effort to combat COVID-19, but recently cannabis labs have also joined in to lend their scientific expertise. In Canada, several cannabis labs have answered the call of Health Canada and will assist with COVID-19 testing.
The question now is, to what extent can American labs assist, given that cannabis is still federally illegal in the United States?
Cannabis labs join Harvard-led COVID-19 research effort
Michael Wells, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard studying neuroscience, started endcoronavirus.org, a multidisciplinary database composed of researchers and scientists who have volunteered to fight COVID-19. Wells told the Cannabis Industry Journal: “The cannabis industry relies on specialized laboratories that routinely perform qPCR-based microbial tests,” meaning they could help process some of the backlog.
Jeff Gray, CEO and Co-Founder of SC Laboratories, has already signed up for endocoronavirus.org and was impressed by “the activation and engagement” of the scientific community. “While cannabis labs could accommodate PCR testing, many would need plenty of time to support a potential retrofit of the facility or test area, amendments to testing procedures, revised safe handling protocols, and result-reporting modifications,” said Gray.
To read more, click on https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/cannabis-labs-join-fight-against-covid-19