Quality is King: A Guide to Cannabis QA, Remediation, and CRC

Imagine you walk into a dispensary, see your favorite brand just dropped a new batch of your favorite strain. You buy a bunch, get home, grind it up, and roll a joint. Light it up, first pull, and it tastes like… nothing. And you feel… nothing. 

Disappointing, right? Feeling deceived? Businesses that rise to the top and stay there know that consumers are looking for products with great flavor and unbeatable potency, so they focus on the one thing that can help them achieve that: quality.

When it comes to potency and flavor, quality is king. It’s the foundation of any successful business. That’s why cannabis cultivators, processors, distributors, and retailers must adopt quality assurance (QA) practices to ensure products are top-tier.

Do you want to learn more about how to ensure your cannabis is high quality? This guide sheds light on the intricate but essential world of QA. Plus, it explores the role of Color Remediation Columns (CRC) and cannabis remediation techniques in ensuring product safety and business compliance. Read on!

Best Cannabis Quality Assurance Practices

High-quality cannabis products don’t just fall out of the sky. From cultivation to extraction and packaging, what happens at each stage can affect the final product. And consumers know this.

As cannabis becomes legalized and the market evolves, more and more consumers pay attention to the small details because everyone wants safe, consistent, and high-quality products.

But how can cannabis cultivators, processors, distributors, and retailers ensure their offerings meet consumers’ expectations? Industry standards and quality assurance regulations are key to ensuring safety and satisfaction. Learn more about them below.

Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QC)

Quality control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) are essential components of cannabis operations. Both can help you ensure your products are safe, consistent, and effective.

These practices encompass several elements and are essential at every stage of the cannabis production process, so they require meticulous attention to detail and a deep knowledge of industry standards and regulations. Let’s explore each one.

QA for Flowers

Cannabis enthusiasts can quickly and easily identify high-quality flowers. They’re vibrant, , sticky, smell great, and have a glistening look that turns heads. 

With the best cannabis quality assurance practices, you can guarantee your products’ integrity and ensure they’re safe for consumers. The following are the most important QA measures:

Genetics and Cultivation

Quality assurance starts with genetics selection and cultivation optimization. If you choose reputable genetics, you can create products with specific characteristics. By setting standardized cultivation practices, you can also ensure your results are consistent.

When it comes to genetics selection and breeding, you need to watch every step you take. Do you want to ensure your products have the desired cannabinoid profiles? Familiarize yourself with different cannabis strains and their genetic profiles, lineage, stability, and market reputation to make the best decision.

To guarantee your plants are healthy and safe, closely monitor environmental conditions, implement pest control measures, and develop comprehensive nutrient management plans.

Testing and Analysis

Cannabis businesses need to perform comprehensive testing and analysis to check flowers’ potency or purity and make sure there are no contaminants. This is what you should focus on during the laboratory testing process:

• Cannabinoids
• Terpenes
• Pesticides
• Heavy metals
• Mold
• Other potential contaminants

Harvesting and Processing

As mentioned, QA protocols must be enforced at every stage of the cannabis production process. Whether you’re harvesting, drying, or curing buds, these measures can help you preserve flowers’ integrity and minimize common risks, such as contamination and degradation.

If you want to maintain your cannabis products’ potency and flavor profiles, you need to handle your plants correctly and store them in places with optimal conditions.

Packaging and Labeling

Packaging and labeling are important for cannabis cultivators and manufacturers. Although they’re almost last in the production process, both can determine whether a product is safe for customers. Companies must also meet strict standards at every stage.

For consumer safety and compliance, QA procedures should focus on whether products’ cannabis labels and packaging contain the right information, which should include the following:

• Cannabinoid content (including terpene content)
• Harvest and/or package date
• Expiration dates
• Relevant warnings
• Any other information to avoid misrepresentation

QA for Processed Cannabis Goods

Each processed cannabis good, such as an extract or edible, is made with a different formulation and production method, so assuring quality may be more challenging if you manufacture these products.

To achieve the best possible results, you need to tailor your QA protocols to the following:

Extraction Process

Is it time to extract cannabinoids? QA protocols streamline this process and improve efficiency to remove residual solvents or contaminants. 

For example, let’s say that you want to ensure cannabis quality and consistency. In that case, you’ll need to use state-of-the-art extraction technologies and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices.

Formulation and Standardization

Your products must be consistent. They must all have the same concentration levels and offer the same effects. You can achieve this through standardization and formulation.

QA protocols should focus on ensuring accurate dosing, correct ingredient homogenization, and rigorous testing. This way, you can make sure your products are uniform and stable.

Packaging and Labeling

Like flower products, your processed cannabis goods also need correct packaging and labeling. If you use the right materials and tamper-evident seals for packaging, for example, your edibles or extracts will stay fresher and safer for longer.

As explained above, proper labeling provides people with all the information they need about the cannabis product before consuming it.

Microbiological and Contaminant Testing

All your products must comply with safety standards. That’s why comprehensive microbiological and contaminant testing is essential if you process cannabis goods.

To safeguard customer health and ensure cannabis compliance, inspect your products for potential contaminants, such as residual solvents, pesticides, and pathogens.

Cannabis Remediation Techniques

The only way to know that your cannabis products are safe for consumption is to screen them for potential contaminants. If you’re lucky enough, they’ll be perfect. But what should you do if you find something that shouldn’t be there?

The process to reduce or eliminate contaminants from cannabis plants or products is known as “cannabis remediation.” Let’s learn more about this process and how it can help your business.

Why Is Cannabis Remediation Important?

Cannabis remediation allows you to address issues that could harm your crops, such as microbial growth, pesticide contamination, and heavy metal accumulation. It often encompasses different techniques that ensure products won’t affect consumers’ health, comply with regulatory standards, and meet the desired quality levels.

In some states, cannabis businesses are even required to implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) for cannabis remediation.

Types of Cannabis Remediation Techniques

Here’s more information on common cannabis remediation techniques:

Cannabis Pesticide Remediation

Pesticide contamination poses a significant health risk for customers. That’s why cannabis businesses should implement remediation techniques to remove or reduce pesticide residues from contaminated plant materials or extracts.

These techniques are used for this purpose:

• Solvent extraction
• Distillation
• Chromatography

With cannabis pesticide remediation methods, you can eliminate harmful chemical residues without affecting cannabinoid and terpene profiles.

Microbial Remediation

Besides posing health risks to customers, microbial contamination can affect cannabis products’ shelf-life, especially in extracts and edibles. Luckily, many cannabis remediation techniques can reduce microbial load and eliminate pathogens, such as mold and fungi, while preserving product quality.

Common cannabis mold remediation techniques include irradiation, microbial filtration, and heat treatment. These methods usually work for other pathogens, too.

Heavy Metal Remediation

Arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals can accumulate in cannabis plants if the soil is contaminated or due to certain environmental factors. Fortunately, several techniques address this issue, such as ion exchange, chelation, and phytoremediation.

These methods can reduce heavy metal levels in cannabis biomass or extracts, so consumers aren’t exposed to elements that may harm their health. They also ensure products comply with safety regulations.

The Role of Cannabis Remediation in Ensuring Product Safety

Cannabis remediation is key to addressing several concerns that may impact the product’s safety and businesses’ compliance status, including the following:

• Consumer safety: Cannabis flower remediation techniques eliminate or reduce pesticides, microbes, heavy metals, and other contaminants that may pose serious risks. As such, these measures safeguard consumers’ health and minimize the potential adverse effects associated with contaminated products.
• Regulatory compliance: Cannabis businesses need to comply with stringent regulatory standards to operate legally and avoid potential penalties, which is essential to survive in this industry. Additionally, compliance is important to maintain consumer trust. Remediation techniques ensure products are processed to the highest purity, potency, and safety standards, helping manufacturers avoid regulatory violations and attract more buyers.
• Market reputation: To succeed in the competitive market and build a solid brand, cannabis businesses should maintain a great reputation and establish themselves as leaders in safe and top-class cannabis production. With effective remediation practices, companies can demonstrate their commitment to satisfaction and quality, which will give them a competitive advantage and improve their brand reputation.

Developing SOPs for Cannabis Remediation

Cannabis remediation is so important for businesses that process and manufacture cannabis products, but how can you optimize this process to get exceptional results?

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will help you ensure consistency, safety, and compliance when implementing cannabis remediation techniques. That’s why most cannabis businesses are creating SOPs and training employees on how to use them.

Step-by-Step Guide for Developing a Cannabis SOP

Do you want to develop a SOP for cannabis remediation? These are the steps you should complete:

1. Define objectives and scope: Define what you’ll use the SOP for, setting clear objectives, such as the contaminants you need to address and the remediation techniques you plan to employ
2. Identify regulatory requirements: Learn about regulatory requirements for cannabis remediation, identify those that apply to your jurisdiction, and ensure your SOP aligns with these guidelines
3. Establish SOP team: Create a multidisciplinary team with experts in key areas, such as cultivation, extraction, QA, and regulatory compliance to develop the SOP together
4. Document current practices: Take note of the remediation practices and procedures used in your facilities, including protocols for material handling, equipment setup, and quality control checks
5. Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs): Identify CCPs in the cannabis remediation process where control measures are necessary to prevent or mitigate contamination risks, such as filtration stages, extraction parameters, and quality testing checkpoints
6. Draft cannabis SOP components: Consider the following:

• Equipment setup: Provide clear details on the setup and calibration procedures necessary for the equipment used throughout the cannabis remediation process, such as testing instruments, extraction systems, and filtration units
• Material handling procedures: Explain how cannabis biomass or extractors should be received, handled, and stored to prevent cross-contamination and ensure traceability
• Remediation techniques: Provide step-by-step instructions for each remediation technique your team must employ, paying close attention to essential parameters, such as temperature, pressure, and duration
• Quality control checks: Outline the quality control measures and testing protocols required to verify that remediation processes are effective and ensure compliance with safety and potency standards
• Safety precautions: List safety precautions that must be considered to protect employees from hazards that may emerge during the cannabis remediation process, such as potential fires, equipment malfunction, and chemical exposure

7. Review and approval: Ask stakeholders, managers, QA personnel, regulatory authorities, and other relevant parties to review the SOP or provide feedback and incorporate the necessary revisions based on their opinions
8. Training and implementation: Train your employees on cannabis remediation and SOP compliance, ensuring each team member is equipped with extensive information on both topics, the techniques used for these purposes, and their roles or responsibilities throughout these processes
9. Periodic review and revision: Set a schedule to regularly review and revise the SOP to incorporate changes in equipment, updated procedures, new regulations, and lessons learned from incidents or audits

If you follow these steps to develop SOPs and train your team on how to use them, you’ll be able to establish comprehensive and effective cannabis remediation practices to improve your operations and ensure your products are manufactured to the highest quality standards.

Understanding Cannabis CRC

Short for Color Remediation Column, CRC is a cannabis purification technique that many businesses in this industry use to improve extracts’ quality and appearance.

Let’s learn what cannabis CRC is, how it works, what it can do, and how this method can help you maximize quality to stand out in a competitive market.

What Is Cannabis CRC, and How Does It Work?

As mentioned, CRC is a chromatographic purification method. It involves passing cannabis extracts through a specialized column packed with absorbent materials, which can be alumina, activated clays, and silica gel.

When cannabis passes through the specialized columns, the absorbent materials capture impurities and contaminants, such as chlorophylls and waxes. This process allows cannabinoids and terpenes to pass through, improving cannabis extracts’ potency, purity, and clarity.

Cannabis CRC combines solvents, temperature control, and pressure to optimize impurity separation and removal. The more you optimize the chromatographic process, the better results you’ll achieve.

Benefits of Cannabis CRC in Extract Improvement 

From better quality to a more attractive appearance, cannabis CRC offers many benefits to those who produce extracts, including the following: 

• Color improvement: CRC is widely used to remove pigments and chlorophyll from cannabis extracts for a clearer and more translucent appearance. Extracts with lighter colors and improved visual appeal are better for both consumers and manufacturers. 
• Purity enhancement: Since impurities and contaminants are removed, CRC can help enhance cannabis extracts’ purity and potency. As a result, you’ll have products with higher cannabinoid and terpene concentrations for more precise dosing and consistent effects. 
• Flavor and aroma preservation: CRC removes unwanted compounds from cannabis extracts, helping preserve their delicate aromas and flavors. By eliminating what contributes to off-flavors and harshness, this process allows the strain’s natural terpene profile to shine, improving the sensory experience for consumers. 
• Consistency and reproducibility: Manufacturers can achieve consistent results batch after batch with CRC because this technique standardizes the chromatographic process. It also controls key parameters, such as solvent composition, flow rate, and column packing, which ensure reproducibility and quality control in cannabis extract production. 

Types of Impurities Removed by CRC 

As previously mentioned, CRC removes impurities and contaminants from cannabis extracts, which may include the following: 

• Pigments: CRC targets pigmented compounds that may contribute to cannabis extracts’ dark coloration, such as carotenoids and anthocyanins. 
• Chlorophyll: The green pigment found in plants (chlorophyll) can give cannabis extracts a bitter taste and harshness. CRC removes it for a smoother and more palatable product. 
• Waxes and lipids: Some non-desirable waxes and lipids present in cannabis extracts can affect clarity and texture. CRC removes these lipophilic compounds, making the final product cleaner and more refined. 
• Residual solvents: Besides removing natural impurities, CRC eliminates residual solvents from extraction processes. As such, this technique helps manufacturers ensure safety and comply with regulatory standards. 

As a purification technique, CRC aids in the cannabis decontamination process and enhances extracts’ quality, purity, and appearance. 

By removing pigments, waxes, chlorophyll, residual solvents, and other impurities or contaminants, CRC helps manufacturers produce clearer, more potent, and aesthetically appealing extracts.

Since this directly affects extracts’ consistency, aroma, and flavor, CRC is key to elevating cannabis products’ overall quality to deliver premium products and exceed customers' expectations. 

Why Consistent Cannabis QA Matters 

Consistency doesn’t just improve product quality. It allows processors and manufacturers to streamline operations, save time, reduce losses, predict financials, and build a loyal customer base. 

Think of it this way: every step in your cannabis production, from cultivation to processing and packaging, impacts your bottom line. Maintaining consistent workflows, which naturally lead to reliable, high-quality cannabis, gives you the control you need to truly understand your costs and maximize profitability.

If you’ve been following our cannabis accounting and bookkeeping content, this will sound familiar – it’s all about building a business that thrives on predictability and data-driven decisions. 

How exactly does quality assurance translate to financial success? That’s where cannabis accounting comes into play. We’ll delve into the connection between your QA processes and financial practices, such as cost accounting, to show you how tracking every gram and improving your workflows can impact your finances.

Cannabis Financial Stability 

Consistent quality ensures predictable financial outcomes. Cost accounting practices will help you accurately assess the expenses associated with producing premium cannabis products. With this information, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about pricing and resource allocation, setting the stage for financial stability. 

This means consistent cannabis QA practices are directly related to effective cannabis accounting and bookkeeping. 

If you align your cannabis remediation system, decontamination processes, and other quality assurance techniques with your financial cannabis tracking tools, it’ll be easier to estimate production costs, analyze profitability, and monitor inventory levels. 

Your financial records will reflect the true value of your products, helping you make better, data-driven decisions for your business. 

Customer Satisfaction 

When it comes to producing cannabis products, consistency is synonymous with reliability. Both lead to happier customers. Cannabis enthusiasts will know you offer the same level of quality in every purchase, so they’ll be more likely to become repeat buyers and brand advocates. 

Consistent QA practices, including cannabis remediation and decontamination, build trust and foster loyalty among consumers.

The Bottom Line 

From enhanced operational efficiency to improved customer satisfaction, cannabis QA practices offer numerous benefits. If integrated with your accounting and cannabis bookkeeping systems, these efforts can help you achieve long-term success in the highly competitive market. 

Even with the best preventive measures, contamination can occur. That’s why having robust, organic cannabis decontamination and remediation processes in place is crucial. By addressing any issues that arise during the cultivation or production stages, you demonstrate a commitment to quality and build trust with your consumers.

While this may take time, SOPs have emerged as effective resources to outline the steps to identify, isolate, and address potential contaminants and ensure an effective response when necessary. That’s why many businesses are implementing them for cannabis remediation and decontamination. 

Maintaining rigorous standards throughout your production process not only safeguards your customers but also protects your brand’s reputation and financial stability, which will ultimately contribute to your success.