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Health Canada gives Brock green light for cannabis testing

Published on December 6, 2024 by Special to the oz.

Photo: Adobe Stock/the oz.
Health Canada has granted Brock University an Analytical Testing license for conducting cannabis analysis to help companies develop their products and meet safety standards.

Health Canada has granted Brock University a licence to conduct cannabis analysis.

The analytical testing licence enables researchers at the St. Catharines, Ont., university to examine samples from the cannabis industry to help companies develop their products and meet safety standards.

This testing will take place using cutting-edge equipment in the Brock-Niagara Validation, Prototyping and Manufacturing Institute.

“The cannabis analysis license truly opens the doors for the types of support that the VPMI can provide for the industry across the Niagara region, Ontario and Canada,” said institute Scientific Director and Associate Professor of Chemistry Paul Zelisko.

With the licence, the VPMI team can provide quality control for the cannabis industry by testing the chemical and biological components of products for effectiveness and safety, says Zelisko.

“The licence will also permit the institute to support stakeholders in typing cannabis strains for more targeted and personalized applications and to help those within the industry to find value-added compounds in waste materials,” he said.

Waste materials arising out of cannabis production include the leaves, stems and roots of the plants. Zelisko says cannabis products used for health or recreational purposes are typically derived only from the buds of the plant, leaving the rest of the plant as regulated waste.

“Discovering valuable compounds in this waste material can help a company mitigate costly disposal fees and/or develop new revenue streams,” he says.

The testing will also help companies evaluate the addition of particular flavours and scents to their edible, beverage and vaping products and ensure that the psychoactive components in the products don’t exceed legislated levels, he said.

Brock Acting Vice-President, Research Michelle McGinn calls the new licence “a milestone” for Brock University and the Niagara region.

“It opens a new frontier for cannabis research that has immense implications for public health and economic growth,” she says.

Health Canada has also renewed a research-related cannabis licence granted to Brock in 2019. That permit researchers and industry partners to identify plant virus infections in cannabis and the other developing cannabis-infused drink technology.

— Brock University