It’s come to our attention that some customers are under the impression that we leave stems in before homogenizing and testing flower product. We’re not sure where this misinformation, or “fake news,” is coming from … but the truth of the matter is that PureVita Labs does indeed remove stems from flower product before homogenizing and testing (see before-and-after images below).
Why is the important? Customers who are overly focused on THC % are worried that leaving stems in impacts the THC % in the product.
As an aside, many cannabis consumers are becoming less interested in THC % and more interested in the full cannabinoid and terpene profile, the resulting entourage effect, and the ever-important THC:CBD ratio. Marijuana is a product that is slowly evolving into a more mature Consumer Goods Product – like food, beverage, cloths, etc., where consumers have lots of options, information, and choices. Marijuana has evolved from a product people wanted but couldn’t get (legally), to a product people could get. Now consumers are beginning to understand that there is not just one product option but hundreds and that they all lead to different consumer experiences (some of which are desired whereas others are not). Unfortunately, there’s not quite enough information out there (yet) for consumers, presented in a consumer-friendly way, to help consumers make choices like they otherwise would in other more mature consumer goods industries.
I digress. Back to the facts. PureVita Labs does indeed remove stems from flower product during sample prep before homogenizing and testing for potency. There are no regulated standards for labs around this process, but it’s our understanding that other RI cannabis labs follow a similar process (e.g. remove stems). Other more progressive states like CA are looking to introduce more standardization around certain lab practices like these to improve consistency between lab results.
Finally, to further reassure those who are concerned about varying THC values from different labs in the state, the RI DOH (Dept of Health) conducted a Round Robin test in December among the RI Cannabis Labs where one sample was collected from a single cultivator and all labs tested the same sample. Great news … all labs produced virtually identical potency results (0.4% difference in THCa potency).
Whether you or your consumers are a fan of high THC product or not, or whether removing stems impacts this number or not, rest assured that PureVita Labs does indeed remove stems from flower product before testing. Let there be no more misinformation. Truth be told.
____________________________________________________
BEFORE STEM REMOVAL
DURING STEM REMOVAL
