We are a dedicated group of scientists and activists who have committed their time and skills to provide safe meds to the medical marijuana community and stay up to date on cannabis laws around the world, including Laos, the Philippines, and South America.
Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation (CMMR)
We also support the work of Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation (CMMR), a member-driven organization working to create reasonable regulation for the medical marijuana industry. In March, patients received 10% off testing and Full Spectrum donated $10 per test kit to CMMR.
Full Spectrum Labs
We are the nation’s first independent botanical testing laboratory providing innovative quantification, certification, and product safety testing to the emerging medical cannabis industry. We provide world-class analytical services previously unavailable to patients, growers, and dispensers of medical cannabis that are backed by more than 60 years of experience in research and development, contract manufacturing, and analytical testing.
KNOWLEDGE IS HALF THE BATTLE. Full Spectrum Labs offers medicinal cannabis testing to licensed patients and caregivers who want to ensure that the medicinal cannabis they are using or providing is safe and effective. Using advanced analyses, we can scientifically quantify medicinal cannabis through analysis of moisture content, cannabinoid composition, microbiological contamination, and the presence of pesticides or harmful metals in virtually any product containing medicinal cannabis.
Address: 4260 Kearney St, Denver, CO 80216
Phone: (720) 335-5227
Status: (Closed)
Why is Testing So Important?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Agriculture (DoA) have established acceptable levels of microbial contamination and residual agricultural chemicals that various consumer products can contain. These standards have developed over time in response to pathogen outbreaks or new research exposing health problems posed by chemicals.
The medicinal marijuana market is no different. Although no regulations have been implemented yet, dispensaries, health centers, and producers of raw plant material, consumables, and extractions provide products that patients put into their bodies. So shouldn’t the community hold them to these same standards?
Help us turn the conversation from “Why should we test?” to “Why don’t you test?”
Safety Testing
The standards set by the FDA and DoA are based on how a product is used. For instance, a product that is eaten can have a much higher microorganism count than one that is inhaled; pharmaceutical-grade material must have very low levels of microorganisms compared to inhaled products.
Because cannabis has long been an illegal product, no such standards have been imposed by the agencies we count on to protect our products as members of the medicinal marijuana community FSL recognizes that the dangers are the same as with any other inhaled or edible products on the market.
For this reason, FSL has developed, based on requirements for other products such as tobacco and produce, a set of guidelines for medicinal cannabis. The cannabis tested for safety by Full Spectrum Labs will fall into one of four categories:
- Suitable for pharmaceutical products
- Suitable for inhaled products
- Suitable for edible products
- Not suitable for human use
Cannabinoid Profiling (Component Testing)
Contrary to popular belief, cannabinoid profiling isn’t just about finding the highest possible THC content in plant material and other forms of medicinal cannabis.
More than sixty distinct cannabinoids may impact the effects individual experiences following the administration of medicinal cannabis. Even if a compound is not psychoactive, it will still have tremendous effects. Cannabinoids are thought to have numerous synergistic interactions within the body that are not fully understood and do not occur with the sole administration of THC.
Cannabinoids are groups of chemical compounds present in the cannabis plant that affect the body and mind through their interaction with special receptors. These cannabinoid receptors are found extensively throughout the immune, digestive, reproductive, central, and peripheral nervous systems of humans (and animals), and their activation is what leads to the medicinal effects of cannabis.
Patients and caregivers can find the most appropriate types of cannabis for their specific symptoms, regardless of strain name, by using Full Spectrum Labs’ validated HPLC testing method.
Now, patients can find a ratio of the cannabinoids that works best for them and find medicinal cannabis based on that ratio.
Cannabinoids Tested At Facilities
Cannabidiol
A non-psychotropic cannabinoid represents up to 75% of the total cannabinoids produced by cannabis in rare strains. CBD is a modifying cannabinoid believed to reduce THC’s psychoactive effects. CBD has been demonstrated to show a variety of medical properties.
Cannabinol
A cannabinoid with low psychoactive properties formed by degenerating THC. High levels of CBN tend to cause drowsiness, dizziness or confusion and is often a sign of improperly stored or old marijuana that has past its prime. CBN has been demonstrated to show a few medical properties.
Cannabigerol
A non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in hemp and marijuana varieties of cannabis. CBG tends to be higher in cannabis species without much THC (hemp varieties) and is found only in trace amounts in marijuana strains. CBG is the precursor of a few other cannabinoids, including THC and CBD. While little research has been conducted on CBG, it has been found to have medical properties.
Tetrahydrocannabivarin
A psychoactive cannabinoid is found along with THC in cannabis. Research has shown that low doses of THCV will increase the medical benefits of THC, but in larger doses, THCV is believed to oppose the effects of THC. Recent research into THCV has focused on its ability to reduce appetite.
Cannabichromene
A non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis. While little is known about this cannabinoid, it is believed to have medical properties.
Tetrahydrocannabinol
The main psychoactive cannabinoid and most commonly known compound in marijuana. Naturally occurring THC is in an acidic form known as THC-A and is poorly absorbed by the body in this form. However, when heat is applied, the THC-acid “decarboxylates” and turns into a form that the body can readily use. THC has been shown to have a wide range of medical benefits.