Rowshan Reordan

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Rowshan Reordan is the founder and CEO of Green Leaf Lab LLC. Founded in 2011, as the first accredited, woman-owned cannabis and hemp CBD analytical testing laboratory in the United States certified by the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and AOAC International. [1] [2] [ clarification needed ]

Contents

Rowshan was an early innovator in the cannabis analytical testing sector. In 2021 and 2022, her company was listed as one of the Top 50 Most Trustworthy Companies. [3] Reordan runs certified testing labs in the states of Oregon and California. [4]

Early life and education

Rowshan Reordan dropped out of high school at 15 and left home at 17 to travel throughout North and Central America, shaping her interest in justice through the use of the law. [5] She later earned a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2006. She also holds a Master's degree in political science with a focus on human rights from the same school. [6]

Career

Reordan began to be interested medical and recreational cannabis testing was after seeing the struggles of a close friend living with HIV, who often used medical cannabis. Their death led her to wonder if medical cannabis products were safe and uncontaminated. [7] At that time, the industry lacked state or federal regulations to ensure the safety of cannabis as a consumed product. Reordan saw Colorado and Washington legalize recreational cannabis without product safety testing standards, leading her to open Green Leaf Lab in Oregon in 2011 as the first woman-owned analytical cannabis testing laboratory. [8] The lab focused on pesticides and mold in cannabis to ensure the product would be safe for consumers. [8] [9]

Green Leaf Lab

Green Leaf Lab trademarked their "Cannalysis" process of analytic cannabis testing and employed trained chemists using standardized and peer reviewed analytic testing equipment to set new industry standards. [10] [11]

In 2019, Green Leaf Lab filed a complaint ending in a legal battle that centered around the critical need to protect proprietary lab procedures and transparency in the emergent cannabis industry's regulatory standards, for which Reordan has been a leader. Her work in analytical chemical testing of cannabis potency and accusations of impropriety were dismissed in U.S. California Central District Court.[ citation needed ]

In 2013, Reordan was invited to join a subcommittee on testing medical marijuana for Oregon's House Bill 3460 to provide recommendations from the industry. In 2015, Reordan gave a statement before the Oregon Legislature outlining eight product safety and public health recommendations to better regulate the cannabis industry:

  1. Laboratories should have regulatory oversight. This will ensure a system where there is accountability and standardization for the safety testing of cannabis.
  2. Independent Third-Party Testing should be required. ... It is in the best interest of Oregon patients and consumers to have an Oregon-based regulatory agency that follows national quality standards that are known to be more stringent than international standards.
  3. Laboratories should be required to perform random sampling and initiate a chain of custody system for batch testing certification.
  4. More stringent microbiological (mold) testing should be required. The current law requires general screening for molds. This screening process does not require identification of harmful molds (for instance, Aspergillus, of which certain species can produce toxins). The current system allows harmful molds to “pass” if the overall screen falls below 10,000 colony forming units per gram. We believe that requiring a more specific microbiological screen for harmful molds will promote public health and safety.
  5. More specific pesticide testing should be required.
  6. Residual solvent testing should be required.
  7. Standardized methods for potency testing should be required. ... [to] support a system that patients and consumers can trust.
  8. Laboratory and testing standards should protect public health, while taking into consideration affordable testing and the legitimization of the cannabis industry. Because cannabis testing is in its infancy, there are many theories regarding the best way to analyze cannabis for safe use. [6]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety</span> State of being secure from harm, injury, danger, or other non-desirable outcomes

Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certification mark</span> Graphic mark indicating compliance with a standard

A certification mark on a commercial product or service is a registered mark that enables its owner to certify that the goods or services of a particular provider have particular properties, e.g., regional or other origin, material, quality, accuracy, mode of manufacture, being produced by union labor, etc. The standards to which the product is held are stipulated by the owner of the certification mark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemp</span> Low-THC cannabis plant

Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of Cannabis sativa cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants on Earth. It was also one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber 50,000 years ago. It can be refined into a variety of commercial items, including paper, rope, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabidiol</span> Phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants, along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. As of 2022, clinical research on CBD included studies related to the treatment of anxiety, addiction, psychosis, movement disorders, and pain, but there is insufficient high-quality evidence that cannabidiol is effective for these conditions. CBD is also sold as a herbal dietary supplement promoted with unproven claims of particular therapeutic effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission</span>

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), formerly known as the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, is a government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. The OLCC was created by an act of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1933, days after the repeal of prohibition, as a means of providing control over the distribution, sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages. To this end, the agency was given the authority to regulate and license those who manufacture, sell or serve alcohol. Oregon is one of 18 alcoholic beverage control states that directly control the sales of alcoholic beverages in the United States. In 2014, the passage of Oregon Ballot Measure 91 (2014) legalized the recreational use of marijuana in Oregon and gave regulatory authority to the OLCC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AOAC International</span> Non-profit scientific association

AOAC International is a 501(c) non-profit scientific association with headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. It was founded in 1884 as the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (AOAC) and became AOAC International in 1991. It publishes standardized, chemical analysis methods designed to increase confidence in the results of chemical and microbiological analyses. Government agencies and civil organizations often require that laboratories use official AOAC methods. AOAC is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, and has approximately 3,000 members based in over 90 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">THC-O-acetate</span> Acetate ester of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

THC-O-acetate is the acetate ester of THC. The term THC-O-acetate and its variations are commonly used for two types of the substance, dependent on which cannabinoid it is synthesized from. The difference between Δ8-THC and Δ9-THC is bond placement on the cyclohexene ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hash oil</span> Oleoresin obtained by the extraction of cannabis or hashish

Hash oil or cannabis oil is an oleoresin obtained by the extraction of cannabis or hashish. It is a cannabis concentrate containing many of its resins and terpenes – in particular, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and other cannabinoids. Hash oil is usually consumed by smoking, vaporizing or eating. Preparations of hash oil may be solid or colloidal depending on both production method and temperature and are usually identified by their appearance or characteristics. Color most commonly ranges from transparent golden or light brown, to tan or black. There are various extraction methods, most involving a solvent, such as butane or ethanol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NSF International</span> Organization

NSF is a product testing, inspection, certification organization with headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. NSF also offers consulting and training services worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steep Hill (company)</span> Cannabis testing, analytics and research laboratory

Steep Hill, INC. is a California-based medical cannabis and adult-use cannabis testing, analytics, and research laboratory that opened in late 2007. It was the first commercial medical cannabis testing lab to open in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid</span> Chemical compound

Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid is a precursor of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active component of cannabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Iowa</span> Legality, use and culture of cannabis in the U.S. state of Iowa

Cannabis in Iowa is illegal for recreational use if classified as marijuana but consumable hemp products including CBD products are legal for consumers to possess and registered retailers to sell. Possession of even small amounts of marijuana is a misdemeanor crime. The state has a medical program for patients with qualifying debilitating medical conditions that allows for the legal sale and possession of no more than 4.5g of THC per patient every 90-day period. Allowed modes of consumption are oral & topical forms including, but not limited to; tablets and tinctures, nebulizable inhalable forms, suppositories, and vaporization.

Cannabis in Italy is currently legal for medical and industrial uses, although it is strictly regulated, while it is decriminalized for recreational uses. In particular, the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use is a civil infraction. The possible sanctions for possession vary from the issuing of a diffida to first offenders, that is an injunction not to use the drug again; to the temporary suspension of certain personal documents for repeat offenders. Conversely, the unauthorized sale of cannabis-related products is illegal and punishable with imprisonment, as is the unlicensed cultivation of cannabis, although recent court cases have effectively established the legality of cultivating small amounts of cannabis for exclusively personal use. The licensed cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes requires the use of certified seeds; however, there is no need for authorization to plant certified seeds with minimal levels of psychoactive compounds.

The cannabis industry is composed of legal cultivators and producers, consumers, independent industrial standards bodies, ancillary products and services, regulators and researchers concerning cannabis and its industrial derivative, hemp. The cannabis industry has been inhibited by regulatory restrictions for most of recent history, but the legal market has emerged rapidly as more governments legalize medical and adult use. Uruguay became the first country to legalize recreational marijuana through legislation in December, 2013. Canada became the first country to legalize private sales of recreational marijuana with Bill C-45 in 2018.

Cannabis product testing is a form of product testing analyzes the quality of cannabis extracts, edibles, and THC and CBD levels in an emergent consumer market eager to sell adult use products. Analytical chemistry and microbiology laboratories are important entities in consumer protection. These labs not only determine the condition and viability of cannabinoids, water content, heavy metals, pesticides, terpenes, yeast, but also the presence of mold, mycotoxins, and solvents. These laboratories emerged when advocates of cannabis testing raised concerns about potential contaminants.

Women have been active in the cannabis industry, cannabis legalization, cannabis testing, and cannabis rights since the earliest days of commercialization, but they have also faced gendered obstacles impeding their growth in an industry worth over 12 million dollars since 2019. "The American cannabis industry accounted for $10 billion of 2018’s [global] figures, with the average U.S. dispensary pulling in $3 million a year."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Budtender</span>

A budtender is a title of a staff member who works within a dispensary or store where medical or recreational cannabis is sold. Their job is to offer suggestions to customers, answer questions, handle products and showcase products being sold.

Neptune Wellness Solutions, Inc. is a diversified wellness company that provides nutraceuticals, organic food and beverages, and consumer packaged goods to retail and business customers. Originally known for Antarctic krill oil production, the company previously operated an industrial-scale licensed cannabis processing plant in Quebec, CA, and a hemp processing facility in North Carolina in the U.S. until selling the cannabis business in 2022.

A certificate of analysis (COA) is a formal laboratory-prepared document that details the results of one or more laboratory analyses, signed—manually or electronically—by an authorized representative of the entity conducting the analyses. This document gives assurances to the recipient that the analyzed item is what it is designated to be, or has the features advertised by the producer. The design and content of a COA may be based upon a set of requirements identified by the lab, by regulatory-driven requirements, and/or by standards developed by standard developing organizations. The COA is used in a wide variety of industries, including but not limited to the agriculture, chemical, clinical research, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Δ-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol</span> Isomer of tetrahydrocannabinol

Δ-8-tetrahydrocannabinol is a psychoactive cannabinoid found in the Cannabis plant. It is an isomer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound commonly known as THC.

References

  1. ↑ Herron-Wheeler, Addison (2021-02-17). "First Women-Owned Cannabis and Hemp CBD Laboratory Gets Certified By WBENC". High Times. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  2. ↑ "Green Leaf Labs Certified As Woman-Owned CBD Laboratory". Greenhouse Product News. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  3. ↑ "Rowshan Reordan, Green Leaf Labs Founder and CEO: "Our goal is to educate our clients, consumers and regulators on the importance of accurate quality control testing for a robust and safe cannabis industry"". The Silicon Review. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  4. ↑ "National Hemp Testing Lab | Cannabis Testing Lab Oregon". Green Leaf Lab. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  5. ↑ "Rowshan Reordan, Green Leaf Labs Founder and CEO: "Our goal is to educate our clients, consumers and regulators on the importance of accurate quality control testing for a robust and safe cannabis industry"". The Silicon Review. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  6. 1 2 Rowshan Reordan, on behalf of Green Leaf Lab, Testimony to the Measure 91 Joint Committee, April 13, 2015, https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2015R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/62721
  7. ↑ "Rowshan Reordan | Green Leaf Labs - Women Leading In Cannabis (podcast)". Listen Notes. 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  8. 1 2 Oregonian/OregonLive, Noelle Crombie | The (2017-06-18). "Contaminated marijuana still reaching consumers in Oregon". oregonlive. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  9. ↑ Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report 2022 by David Downs and Amelia Williams, with Bruce Barcott and Beau Whitney Contributors: Calvin Stovall and Max Savage Levenson https://leafly-cms-production.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/04104710/Leafly-Crops-Report-2022.11.4corrected.pdf
  10. ↑ "Weedist Women: Rowshan Reordan of Green Leaf Lab". Weedist. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  11. ↑ "CANNALYSIS Trademark of QC LABS - Registration Number 6177528 - Serial Number 88263110 :: Justia Trademarks". trademarks.justia.com. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
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