Title: Managing Fungal and Bacterial Risks

Abstract:

In the last two years there have been several high-profile illnesses in cannabis users, notably the e-cigarette, or vaping, product-use associated lung injury (EVALI), and heavy metal poisoning in California and Michigan. While these are undeniably deserving of attention, they have led to a focus on chemical contaminants and causes of illness, rather than microbial ones. With an estimated combined market of over $10B in retail sales this year, it’s not a matter of if, but when will the cannabis industry have its first major microbial or food-borne outbreak and product recall. This can be mitigated by implementing proper quality control measures, but what does that mean? Presented within is a general overview of quality control in 2 aspects of the cannabis industry particularly focusing on bacterial and fungal contamination and steps to mitigate it.

Learning Objectives:

1. Introduce the audience to a general overview of bacterial and fungal contamination
2. Identify areas in the growing and manufacturing industries to monitor for bacterial and fungal contamination
3. Present general steps forward to monitor and mitigate contamination.

Biography:

Josh Smith has spent the last decade researching alternative anti-microbial therapies in the pharmaceutical industry. In particular, he has spent most of his career developing molecular diagnostic methods and genetically modifying E. coli to prevent or kill off infections. Most recently, he worked on developing treatments for catheterized patients to guard against UTIs as well as clearing wound and skin graft sites prior to treatment. This work led to developing a patent pending new diagnostic test for identifying bacterial infections within 4 hours of receipt by the lab. His graduate degree is in clinical microbiology but, during the course of his education, he spent a large amount of time in microbial genetics, biochemistry, x-ray crystallography, and protein kinetics, particularly with the hemolysin hpmA of P. mirabilis. In 2018, Josh was approached to found Premium CBD Labs, a hemp testing laboratory located in Madison, WI. His focus is bringing the standards and ethical accountability of clinical labs to the cannabis testing industry.