The legalization of CBD in Virginia in March this year created a law enforcement nightmare because it was difficult to tell (during field testing) whether the material someone has been found with is marijuana or hemp. Now the state is poised to acquire Swiss-made testing kits that will answer that question in a reliable way.
Linda Jackson, the top forensic scientist in the state, told a police board meeting that her office had conducted extensive tests on the Swiss kits in order to ascertain how valid their results were, and it is upon those test results that she recommended that the state police buys the kits for use by officers on duty.
Jackson also said that her recommendation also included reasons why these new kits should not replace, but rather be used alongside the current marijuana test kits being used by law enforcement.
The kits available to law enforcement at the moment were designed to test whether a suspect material contains cannabinoids, which include CBD and THC. Once the substance tests positive on this test, the Swiss-made kit can then be used to find out whether the material has more CBD or more THC, and therefore determine that what has been tested is hemp or marijuana.
These test kits are going to be bought using grant money provided by the Department of Criminal Justice Systems. About 15,000 kits will be purchased initially.
Maggie DeBoard, the Herndon Police Chief, welcomes the news that the state is going to procure these specialized test kits. She said that her officers were finding it hard to enforce marijuana laws because no tests could be done to provide a conclusive answer in the field that a substance, such as a bottle of oil, was CBD or marijuana oil.
John Waldheim, the only distributor of the Swiss-made test kits within the U.S., says that while these kits have shortcomings if one wants to use them to identify non-cannabinoid ingredients, they do an excellent job when deployed to tell CBD apart from marijuana.
These test kits have already been bought in Florida. Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina have also placed their orders. This surge in demand has prompted Waldheim to get started on establishing a distribution center for the kits in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Linda Jackson and her team are working with Virginia police to develop a manual that will guide police officers on how to use the Swiss kits alongside the equipment they have been using.
Analysts believe CBD industry players like IONIC Brands Corp. (CSE: IONC) (OTC: IONKF) and Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) welcome these more reliable test kits since they will save many consumers from the untold inconveniences of being suspected to have marijuana when your product is a CBD product.
About CBDWire
CBDWire (CBDW) is a specialized information provider focused on (1) reporting CBD-related news and updates, (2) releasing CBDNewsBreaks crafted to keep investors abreast of the latest and greatest in the CBD market, (3) refining and enhancing corporate press releases, (4) delivering end-to-end distribution and social media services to client-partners and (5) constructing effective corporate communication solutions based on the unique requirements of CBD companies. CBDW is exclusively positioned in the burgeoning CBD sector with a proven team of journalists and researchers working to deliver high quality content to an expansive target audience of investors, consumers and industry news outlets. Our dissemination network of over 5,000 downstream distribution points allows us to deliver unparalleled reach, visibility and recognition to companies operating in both cannabidiol and the wider cannabis space. CBDWire (CBDW) is where CBD news, content and information converge.
To receive instant SMS alerts, text CBDWire to 21000 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only)
For more information please visit https://www.cbdwire.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CBDWire website applicable to all content provided by CBDW, wherever published or re-published: https://CBDWire.com/Disclaimer
Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with CNW? Ask Our Editor
CBDWire (CBDW)
Denver, Colorado
www.cbdwire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CBDWire.com
