Cannabis irradiation

Cannabis irradiation is a process used in the cannabis industry to remove or inactivate microbial contaminants (mold, fungus, etc.) from cannabis meant for human consumption, using various forms of radiation. The radiation applied may include gamma radiation,^[1] electron beam irradiation,^[2] and X-rays.^[3] Cold plasma has also been studied experimentally in Israel.^[4] As of 2021, the most common radiation used to decontaminate was gamma rays.^[5] In the regulated Canadian market, "irradiation is considered to be an effective way of meeting [microbial contaminants] standards",^[6] and it has been "standard practice" since at least 2016 in Canada and the Netherlands.^[1]

See also

• Cannabis product testing
• Food irradiation

References

1. Hazekamp 2016.
2. Hodes 2023.
3. Frink et al. 2022.
4. Jerushalmi et al. 2020.
5. Bird et al. 2021, p. 306.
6. SQDC 2024.

Sources

• Hodes, David (July 5, 2023). "Cannabis irradiation poses quandary for growers, scares consumers". MJ Biz Daily.
• Hazekamp, Arno (April 27, 2016), "Evaluating the Effects of Gamma-Irradiation for Decontamination of Medicinal Cannabis", Front Pharmacol, 7 (108): 108, doi:10.3389/fphar.2016.00108, PMC 4847121, PMID 27199751
• Frink, Stephen; Marjanovic, Olivera; Tran, Phoi; Wang, Yun; Guo, Weihong; Encarnacion, Noahie; Alcantara, Donelle; Moezzi, Bahman; Vrdoljak, Gordon (November 15, 2022), "Use of X-ray irradiation for inactivation of Aspergillus in cannabis flower", PLOS One, 17 (11): e0277649, Bibcode:2022PLoSO..1777649F, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0277649, PMC 9665375, PMID 36378669
• "What you need to know on Cannabis irradiation". Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC). Retrieved 2024-04-14.
• Bird, Patrick; Corrigan, Nisha; Engle-Goodner, Renee; Katchman, Benjamin A.; Miller, Jesse; Opie, Shaun R. (2021). "Laboratory safety and compliance testing for microorganism contamination in marijuana". In Opie, Shaun R. (ed.). Cannabis laboratory fundamentals. Springer. pp. 281–318. ISBN 978-3-030-62715-7.
• Jerushalmi, Shachar; Maymon, Marcel; Dombrovsky, Aviv; Freeman, Stanley (February 28, 2020), "Effects of cold plasma, gamma and e-beam irradiations on reduction of fungal colony forming unit levels in medical cannabis inflorescences", Journal of Cannabis Research, 2
• Bahouth, Brian (April 5, 2021). "Should Nevada remove the Radura symbol from irradiated cannabis?". Sierra Nevada Ally.

Further reading

• Scoble, Devon (July 8, 2019). "Irradiation 101: what Canadians need to know about irradiated cannabis". Leafly (Canada). (age verification required)
• "What is irradiated medical cannabis?". Mamedica. 3 May 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
• Small, Ernest (November 2016). "Why eliminating terpenes by irradiating medical marijuana may be harmful". Cannabis: A Complete Guide. CRC Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-1498761635. OCLC 971400059.