The Risk of Pathogenic Aspergillus and Cannabis

Ben Amirault Podcast, Safety Leave a Comment

Some people in the cannabis industry are questioning whether it is appropriate or necessary to test inhaled cannabis products for pathogenic Aspergillus.  Full disclosure, we at Medicinal Genomics sell qPCR testing kits designed to detect pathogenic Aspergillus on cannabis products. We have also published several resources on our website that describe the potential harms that can be caused by inhaling …

Managing Total Yeast and Mold with Zamir Punja, PhD

Ben Amirault Cultivation, Podcast, Safety Leave a Comment

Zamir Punja, PhD is a Professor of Plant Biotechnology at Simon Fraser University in Canada. His research interests include the etiology and management of plant diseases on vegetable and horticultural crops, and the applications of plant biotechnology for disease management. Since 2018, his work has shifted to researching cannabis, where his group has described a range of previously unreported pathogens …

Reducing Microbial Contamination Risk with Anthony Repay, M.S.

Ben Amirault Podcast, Safety Leave a Comment

Anthony Repay is currently serving as Laboratory Director of Method Testing Laboratories in Tampa, FL. Anthony started his career as the head food and environmental microbiologist at a Chicago-based testing laboratory before joining the cannabis science community. Since joining cannabis, Anthony has tried to innovate and push the cannabis microbiology community by publishing peer-reviewed papers, speaking on proper quality control …

Updating Cannabis Microbial Testing Regulations with Sherman Hom, PhD

Ben Amirault Podcast, Safety Leave a Comment

Dr. Sherman Hom is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Medicinal Genomics where he provides recommendations to regulatory officials that are tasked with drafting or modifying microbial testing regulations for cannabis, hemp, and psychedelic mushrooms to ensure safe products for patients and consumers. Before Medicinal Genomics, he was at the New Jersey Department of Health, where he led teams that …