Hemp Synergistics’ TRU kit was featured in the August 2020 Morning Cannabis report by Politico Pro. Presented is the section wherein Hemp Synergistics was mentioned.
HEMP WATCH
UNIVERSITY TEAMS UP WITH HEMP BIOTECH FIRM ON FIELD
TEST — Hemp Synergistics, a Pennsylvania-based biotechnology
company, teamed up with Purdue University’s Center for Crime,
Forensics, and Security Analysis to develop a field test for cannabis
plants . The goal: to come up with technology that could help law
enforcement officers tell the difference between hemp and marijuana.
The partnership launched its first field test this week.
What’s the context? Both hemp and marijuana are the same species
of cannabis plant. But legally speaking, hemp is required to contain
less than 0.3 percent THC. The two plants are largely
indistinguishable, causing problems for law enforcement and
prompting DA offices across the country to step back from enforcing marijuana offenses.
The new field test is not designed to replace lab testing, but instead
can help police officers decide whether a substance needs to be sent to
a lab for further investigation.
“That’s a huge relief for legal hemp consumers and law enforcement
alike,” said Ron Fazio, COO of Hemp Synergistics. “Cops don’t want to
arrest people they don’t have to.”
Indeed, tales of unsuspecting CBD consumers and truck drivers
carrying hemp getting in legal trouble have emerged across the
country.
What’s next? This is just the first phase of the Purdue-Hemp
Synergistics partnership. While the new field test can only test plant
material, they plan to release two other tests within the next year: One
to test products like oils and creams, and another to test more
complicated samples like baked goods and other highly processed
products, Fazio said.
And while the test is aimed at helping law enforcement, it could help
those in the industry too. Hemp growers, for example, could test for
THC content quickly and harvest their crops early if needed — before
they end up testing hot.
DEA FORMALLY AMENDS CSA TO OMIT HEMP — The DEA
Thursday issued a new rule that changes the language of the
Controlled Substances Act to formally remove hemp in four different
ways, including removal of the import/export controls over CBD
substances and limiting “marijuana extracts” to those containing more
than 0.3 percent THC.
Cannabis containing less than 0.3 percent THC was legalized as part of
the 2018 Farm Bill, and this latest step by the DEA is a formality.
