A cannabis company with operations based in Jamaica announced this week that it has successfully exported cannabis-derived THC products to the United States, where they will be tested at a facility licensed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The company, Pure Jamaican and its GMP-certified, licensed pharma manufacturer Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals, said the shipment marks the first legal export of THC to the United States from Jamaica in a move that elevates the Caribbean island nation’s role in the global cannabis supply chain.

Jamaica legalized the commercial export of cannabis for medical, scientific and therapeutic purposes in 2015, although government regulations for exporting medical marijuana products were not approved until 2021. Pure Jamaican plans to take advantage of the opportunity by legally exporting proprietary pharmaceutical products with cannabis-derived THC, hemp-derived CBD and other cannabinoids to the United States, Brazil and other major markets around the world.

Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness granted permission for Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals to export cannabis-derived THC products to the United States, while the DEA issued corresponding import permits. The company then shipped the products to a DEA-licensed facility where analytic testing was successfully completed. Scott Cathcart, CEO of Pure Jamaican and Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals, said the milestone “is a proud moment for Jamaica and for our group of companies.” 

“Jamaica has long been associated with ‘ganja’ but never before in this context as a producer and legal exporter of THC as a pharmaceutical-grade medicine,” Cathcart said in a statement from the company. “As the only company in Jamaica licensed for pharmaceutical manufacturing of cannabinoids, we are proud to be leading the way to elevating the role of Jamaica in the global cannabis ecosystem.”

Shipment Comes As DEA Ponders Rescheduling

The first legal export of cannabis from Jamaica to the U.S. comes as the DEA is considering a proposal to relax restrictions on marijuana under federal law. Last summer, Rachel Levine, the Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), wrote a letter to DEA head Anne Milgram recommending that cannabis be removed from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. 

The recommendation was issued following an executive order from President Joseph Biden in October 2022 that directed the heads of the Department of Justice and HHS to review the classification of marijuana under federal law. Under the HHS recommendation, which was issued after a review of the available medical and scientific evidence, cannabis would be rescheduled under Schedule III of the CSA, a less restrictive classification than Schedule I that would ease cannabis research and likely lead to the approval of cannabis pharmaceuticals.

If the DEA approves the rescheduling, Seven-10 intends to request DEA permits to ship Pure Jamaican pharmaceutical THC products from Jamaica to patients in the US. Such shipments would be made to patients with a valid prescription and would comply with all relevant regulations from the DEA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as state pharmacy distribution regulations.

Shullette Cox, the president of Jamaica Promotions Corp. (JAMPRO), a trade and investment promotions corporation representing the Government of Jamaica, said that “the growth of the cannabis industry for medicinal purposes has been a priority of the government of Jamaica and particularly, the export of value-added products from Jamaica. The success of Pure Jamaican and Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals is applauded as JAMPRO continues to facilitate the local medicinal cannabis industry and ensuring its role in driving the growth of exports.”

Seven-10 has already begun shipping medicinal cannabis formulations to patients in Brazil, where regulations allowing pharmacy sales of such products went into effect in 2019. Prime Jamaica noted that together, the U.S. and Brazil comprise a market totaling more than 500 million people.

“This is a labor of love and not easy,” said Dr. Ellen Campbell Grizzle, chief regulatory and compliance officer of Pure Jamaican and Seven-10 Pharmaceuticals. “Jamaica has 52 percent of the world’s medicinal plants in our small island nation, and we are very proud to be exploring ways to identify new botanical medicines to bring health, wellness, new exports and economic growth to our country.”

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Aug. 18 that it has chosen a very specific company’s portable cannabis analyzer to be used to test cannabis plants as well as products.

The analyzer was created by Orange Photonics, which utilizes spectroscopy and liquid chromatography in its LightLab 3 High Sensitivity (HS) Cannabis Analyzer. The FDA plans to “…to play a pivotal role in its efforts to regulate the national cannabis industry,” a press release stated.

Previously, the LightLab 3 HS Cannabis Analyzer was chosen by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CPB) in 2022 to be its chosen field-deployable analyzer.

“Previous to this award, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Laboratories and Scientific Services conducted a multi-phase assessment of LightLab 3 Cannabis Analyzer,” said Orange Photonics President Stephanie McArdle. “Unlike general purpose, laboratory-based HPLCs, LightLab is built to analyze cannabinoids which translates into a simplified workflow, affordability, and impressive analytical capabilities.

Year-to-date data as of September 2021 showed that the analyzer helped law enforcement confiscate $2 billion worth of illicit cannabis plants and products. At the time, Josephine County Sheriff Detective Kile Henrich praised the technology for quickly identifying the differences between cannabis or hemp. “Any region that has a drug enforcement operation should use the LightLab Cannabis Analyzer,” said Henrich. “LightLab saves time on having to take confiscated cannabis to a crime lab, a process which can take 30 days versus minutes for a test on-site. It saves months and prevents future lawsuits.”

According to Orange Photonics, the LightLab 3 “decreases the burden on forensic laboratories” by allowing the device to be simple to use, and test plants and products on-site where they are grown or manufactured, to provide instant results.

“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,” said McArdle. “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.”

Orange Photonics offers three versions of the analyzer: the LightLab 3 Cannabis Analyzer, LightLab 3 High Sensitivity, and LightLab 3 Law Enforcement version, which roughly analyzes in 10.5 minutes.

All of which can quickly analyze up to 19 cannabinoids, including Delta-9 THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA, CBN, CBG, and CBGA, in addition to others included in a “minors module.”

LightLab 3 can detect cannabis up to 0.5% (or 0.05% with the hemp compliance module), High Sensitivity up to 0.00017%/1.7ppm, and Law Enforcement version up to 0.5% (or 0.05% with the hemp compliance module).

What differs between each of the analyzers is the sample type. While the basic cannabis analyzer can test finished plant/flower, young plants, concentrates, tinctures, raffinate, and hemp compliance, the High Sensitivity version can also analyze beverage enhancers, baked goods, infused candies, pet treats, nano emulsions, and more. The Law Enforcement version focuses on dried plant/flower, young/wet plants, concentrates, edibles, and hemp compliance.

Orange Photonics’ product targets the need for quick and accurate product testing in order to maintain consumer safety. It cites the fact that over the past six years, the FDA has had to issue countless letters and safety notices to companies when they do not follow FDA regulations.

Orange Photonics plans to make numerous appearances at upcoming conventions through the rest of the year, including the California Cannabis Enforcement Summit (Aug. 22-24), TeeHC Open in Massachusetts (Sept. 8), International Drug Enforcement Conference XXXVII in Jamaica (Sept. 22), MJ Unpacked in Michigan (Oct. 10-12), and 12th Annual MJBizCon in Nevada (Nov. 28-Dec. 1).

While the LightLab 3 could play an important part in how the cannabis industry tests its products in the future, it does not affect the realm of testing in relation to the human body. Countless individuals have been punished due to THC being detected in their bloodstream long after they have consumed it.

The topic of cannabis being used as a performance-enhancing drug has been frequently revisited over the years, as many athletes have either come out in support of medical cannabis to treat sports-related conditions or dedicated themselves to the cause by creating their own cannabis brand. One of the most recent examples of this is with New Zealand-based rugby athlete, Isaia Walker-Leawere who received a one-month suspension and agreed to attend a treatment program.

Positive drug tests also negatively affect non-athletes frequently as well, with studies stating that positive workplace drug tests are at the highest levels in the past 25 years. Fortunately, some states are implementing rules to protect consumers. In Michigan, a civil service commission approved a new rule stating that no longer disqualify applicants for state positions in July.

Some legislators are also taking a stance on cannabis testing, such as Rep. Matt Gaetz recently called for putting an end to cannabis testing for military members last month. One New Jersey officer who tested positive for cannabis in 2022 was recently reinstated to his job with backpay.

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A proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act by Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida would cease cannabis testing for military members, Politico reports.

Should the amendment make it into the National Defense Authorization Act, it would further relax rules regarding cannabis testing within the military. As marijuana legalization sweeps the nation, more and more recruits seek out the benefits of cannabis, whether for recreational use, medical benefits, or both, especially in legal states. According to The New York Times, nearly 33% more recruits tested positive in 2022 than in 2020. At the time of reporting, medical marijuana is legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C., and adult-use cannabis is legal in 22 states and D.C.

Recently, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill that includes an amendment allowing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to recommend medical cannabis for their patients in legal states. It will go into effect as part of the approved legislation that funds the VA for the 2024 Fiscal Year. The amendment, sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, passed via a voice vote in June. It will yield the same results a standalone bill refiled in the House seeks to obtain, with bipartisan backing by Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, and Florida Republican Representative Brian Mast, who lost both legs while serving in the Army in Afghanistan. Blumenauer and Mast are the co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.

Gaetz’s proposed amendment follows other changes regarding the Federal government’s stance on cannabis use. In May, reports showed that over the past five years, the military gave 3,400 recruits who failed a drug test on their first day a “grace period to try again.” The Army waived over 3,300 recruits who failed a drug test or admitted past drug use between 2018 and 2022. Historically, the Army is considered the most relaxed (although describing the Army as “relaxed” feels like an oxymoron) compared to other military branches. The Navy traditionally has a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who fails their entry drug test. Still, even they recently started giving recruits another chance to take another drug test after 90 days if they failed the first one, as are the Air Force and the Marine Corps.

Now is a good time to point out that piss tests are basically just cannabis tests. For example, while both cocaine and heroin show up in urine for three to four days after use, cannabis lingers for roughly 30 days and sometimes even longer. So, unless one administers the drug screening shortly after taking anything other than cannabis (although remember, under Federal law, cocaine is only Schedule II, while cannabis is Schedule I), the infamous piss test only really screws over stoners, which seems rather contradictory and unfair, although in line with most conservative’s regressive attitudes about marijuana. 

However, considering recent bipartisan support for cannabis reform, even that could be changing. Gaetz, a man associated with the far-right, who once voted to give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize, wishes to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency, is virulently against abortion rights, and once voiced support for Kyle Rittenhouse, is an unlikely stoner ally. However, he is generally pro-cannabis, once stating that the federal government has “lied to the American people for a generation” about the medical benefits of marijuana. 

Gaetz’s desire to end cannabis testing for military members is tied to his desire for America to have thriving armed forces. “Our military is facing a recruitment and retainment crisis unlike any other time in American history. I do not believe that prior use of cannabis should exclude Americans from enlisting in the armed forces. We should embrace them for stepping up to serve our country,” Gaetz said in a statement.

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Can your boss fire you for using weed off the clock? We checked the books of all 50 states to see where employees are protected from THC screenings.

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When the calendar flips to 2022 in a few days, most job applicants in Philadelphia will no longer have to sweat out a drug test for cannabis.

As of January 1, the city will prohibit most employers from conducting a cannabis drug test for new hires. The new ordinance, passed easily by the Philadelphia city council earlier this year, will be “the first of its kind in Pennsylvania,” according to local television station KDKA.

Recreational pot is still illegal in the state, but medical cannabis is not. The latter was the impetus for Philadelphia City Councilmember Derek Green to author the ordinance, telling KDKA that his chief focus was on medicinal cannabis.

“Cannabis is a unique product. Unlike alcohol and others, it metabolizes in your system a lot differently,” Green said, as quoted by the television station. “We’re having this conversation across the commonwealth and in the general assembly about whether we allow adult-use cannabis. But for me, those who really need medical marijuana, especially to improve their quality of life, shouldn’t be restricted from getting a job because that’s what we all want to see.”

There are a number of exemptions for the new ordinance, “including law enforcement, employees who need a commercial driver’s license, many health-care workers, and a broad category that includes ‘any position in which the employee could significantly impact the health or safety of other employees or members of the public,’” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The city council approved the ordinance in April by a 15-1 vote, with the lone vote against coming from David Oh, a Republican.

The legislation was signed into law by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney shortly thereafter.

While Philadelphia may be the first city in the Keystone State to enact such a measure, it has been done elsewhere—including in nearby New York City, which had its own ban on pre-employment cannabis drug testing go into effect last year.

Lawmakers in Nevada, where recreational pot is legal for adults, implemented its own ban last year, and earlier this year, not long after it ended prohibition on pot, New York made the ban statewide.

Much like in Philadelphia, New York City’s ban on pre-employment marijuana drug testing came before recreational pot was made legal.

The measure passed the New York City council in 201 after it was brought by Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate and a candidate for governor of New York.

“Marijuana testing isn’t a deterrent to using the drug, it’s an impediment to opportunity dating back to the Reagan area—one that disadvantages low-income workers, often workers of more color, many of whom we now call essential but treat as expendable.” Williams said after the ordinance took effect last year. 

“Particularly now, as we are grappling with how to recover from the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst levels of unemployment in a century, we need to be creating more access points for employment, not less—and if prospective employers aren’t testing for past alcohol usage, marijuana should be no different. This is an economic recovery issue, a worker justice issue, and one that New York City must lead the way on.”

Green, the Philadelphia city councilmember, said that it didn’t make sense for employers to screen for something that is often recommended by doctors in the state.

“We’re using pre-employment testing for a product that is being recommended by physicians, for individuals within the city of Philadelphia, that’s authorized for them to be used,” Green said after it was approved in April, as quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer. “That seems very contradictory.”

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Leafly’s comprehensive guide to marijuana testing regulations in all 50 states

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