Did you know that the federal government is in the marijuana business? It is. And its top-notch product sells for $174 per gram. That has got to be some good stuff, right? All kidding aside, it is good stuff. And it’s not for consumption. It is for scientific testing.
The federal science agency known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the go-to source for marijuana sold by the federal government for research purposes. This specific product is known as RM 8210. The ‘RM’ stands for ‘reference material’. The NIST expects buyers to use it to calibrate their instruments for measuring cannabinoids and other components in a lab setting.
How It All Works
Marijuana Moment as a fantastic post on their website detailing how all of this works. In a nutshell, a lab purchases three 1.5-gram samples of RM 8210. The samples have been quantified by NIST for a number of chemical components including eight different cannabinoids. The lab measures the chemical components and compares its results against NIST numbers.
NIST says that “if their numbers match those from NIST to within an accepted margin of error, all is well. If not, they’ll know they need to recalibrate their instruments or otherwise troubleshoot their methods.”
The samples can be used to calibrate measurements for both marijuana and hemp. The samples are not plant specific. As such, two of the cannabinoids quantified in the samples are CBD and THC.
Why the Feds Are Doing It
Given the ongoing federal ban against marijuana and THC, one wonders why a federal agency is selling such expensive marijuana to labs around the country. Once again, Marijuana Moment provides the answer. They explain that the government’s position is largely about consumer protection.
Consumers should be able to trust the labels on the cannabis products they buy. That goes for both recreational and medical cannabis. In order to give them truthful information, measurements have to be standardized. NIST has taken it upon themselves to create those standards through samples labs can rely on to calibrate their instruments.
Personally, I would not be surprised if NIST’s decision to release RM 8210 is in some way related to the Biden administration’s decision to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I two Schedule III. Once rescheduling takes place, I expect to see a ton of clinical research into marijuana’s efficacy as a pain reliever, at the very least.
As Things Currently Stand
As things stand right now, a lack of federal measurement and labeling standards has left states to fend for themselves. The result is a mixed bag of regulatory standards across the more than three-dozen states with legalized marijuana programs. Some states have done better than others.
Cedar City, Utah’s Zion Medicinal medical cannabis dispensary says that Utah regulators began working on new testing and labeling standards last year. State lawmakers and regulators have worked together to create one of the best medical cannabis programs in the country.
Meanwhile, other states have spent the last 12-18 months calling on the FDA to come up with some sort of mandatory labeling program. FDA officials have been pretty much silent on the issue. That may change with rescheduling on the horizon.
We will have to wait to see what happens with marijuana in relation to rescheduling and FDA intervention. In the meantime, if you are looking to buy some high-quality marijuana for lab testing purposes, the NIST has it for sale for $174 per gram. At that price, it has got to be some of the best in the business.
