The Forensic Science Center in the City of Houston has developed a chemical testing procedure that distinguishes between hemp and psychoactive cannabis.
In June 2019, the law defining hemp and "weed" went into effect: it differentiates them from each based on whether they have a THC content of more than 0,3%. The maneuver, intended as additional business safety for hemp farmers, created a problem at the level of prosecution: the THC content must be proven, as this bill has been passed. And at the time, Texas labs weren't equipped to provide the analytical evidence that entities like state licensees or prosecutors need to enact regulations.
To this day, government agencies have been forced to rely on expensive analysis services from private laboratories. However, this new test method will be limited to the plants themselves and will not be structured in such a way as to evaluate the active ingredient content in any other form of cannabis products.
The procedure is the result of more than a year of work performed by two lab workers, who modified a DEA testing methodology to help them differentiate between hemp and marijuana.
Another peculiarity of this testing practice, besides working with only plant-based material, is the fact that it produces a 'wiggle room' of 0,3% THC, which should keep any party involved away from the risk of legal hassles like result of “false positive” outcome.
Texas hemp farmers can then rely on the assurance that local law enforcement officers will be able to do their job well and differentiate their activities from illegal or non-compliant, without the concerns caused by the lack of resources.
Sources include AnalyticalCannabis (EN), GreenEntrepreneur (EN), Houston Forensic Science Center (EN), Houston Chronicle (EN)
