FDA Chooses Portable Cannabis Analyzer That Enables Non-Technical Operators To Instantly Test Marijuana Plants & Products

Orange Photonics, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technology innovator, reported Friday that US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has selected the LightLab 3 High Sensitivity (HS) Cannabis Analyzer to play an important role in its efforts to regulate the national cannabis industry. This move comes after numerous international and state regulatory agencies have successfully implemented LightLab 3 HS to support consumer safety and business licensure.

What is LightLab 3?

The LightLab 3 HPLC platform is an application-specific portable HPLC capable of analyzing 19 cannabinoids in nearly any cannabis-containing product. Leveraging analytical methods chosen by most testing laboratories, LightLab 3 enables non-technical operators to access highly sensitive compound analysis in non-laboratory settings. Orange Photonics confirmed its solutions can be used by both the commercial and regulatory sides of the cannabis space.

"The public deserves to have complete confidence in the safety, labeling, and marketing standards of products on retail shelves. State regulatory agencies have successfully relied upon the LightLab 3 Cannabis Analyzer technology for years," stated Stephanie McArdle, president of Orange Photonics. "The FDA's adoption of LightLab 3 Cannabis Analyzer is a positive step as it continues to prioritize public health within the current regulatory landscape."

The company highlighted that the FDA’s decision to deploy LightLab 3 HS Cannabis Analyzer comes from its commitment to address consumer safety concerns associated with food-related products containing CBD and Delta-8 THC. Over the past six years, the FDA has issued numerous consumer safety notices and letters to companies manufacturing or marketing CBD, and more recently, Delta-8 products that fail to comply with various FDA regulations. In addition, the FDA will potentially play a key role intercepting international and intrastate illicit shipments.

US Customs And Border Protection Agency Experience

The FDA's move follows the successful deployment of LightLab 3 by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) in 2022 after a thorough multi-phase assessment by the CBP's Laboratories and Scientific Services. "We have found that LightLab is very suitable as a quantification tool for cannabis samples," said Josiris Rodriguez, a chemist with the Customs and Border Protection Agency in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The company touted that mobile cannabis testing with its device reduces the burden on forensic labs, enabling non-technical operators to instantly test marijuana plants and products, and stops unnecessary product seizures. Overall, this reduces regulatory overhead and ultimately ensures consumer safety is protected.

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