Work Item
ASTM WK74232
New Specification for Grading Cured Cannabis Bud
1. Scope
This proposed standard would include criteria and methods for grading cured cannabis bud (i.e, the fruiting tops of the cannabis plant, also known as parthenocarpic infructescences), borrowing heavily from the criteria used by judges at cannabis competitions, the buyers of cured cannabis bud at every link in its supply chain, and anyone else who has a documented quality-grading system. A sperate standard, to be defined in parallel, would include the criteria and methods for grading fresh bud. The quality-grading system is expected to complement the Certificate of Analysis and any other certifications such as Organic, Sun-Grown, Minority-Grown, Appellation of Origin, etc.
Keywords
cannabis; quality; grading
Rationale
Currently, cannabis consumers tend to buy the most THC for the dollar because thats the only metric that is (a) available to them and (b) simple enough for them to understand. This metric has flowed upstream to growers and breeders, pushing the THC levels ever-higher, sacrificing all other potential quality metrics on the altar of THC per dollar. Broadly speaking, the industry would prefer for consumers to buy the best quality cannabis that they can afford, but to effect this change, the industry must offer a new metric of quality. This metric, too, is likely to flow upstream, affecting the strains and methods used to produce cannabis commercially, therefore it should be determined before other cultivation standards. It is To Be Determined whether cannabis should be graded by subspecies (e.g., indica, sativa, auto-flowering, or hybrid), by use (e.g., to sleep, for creativity, for pain relief), by strain name, by chemovar, by genotype, etc. It is expected that buyers all along the supply chain will this cured bud grading standard (and the complementary fresh bud grading standard) to buy the best bud that they can afford. It is expected that buyers will need to be trained to apply the grading standard consistently, that is, to be certified as graders.
The title and scope are in draft form and are under development within this ASTM Committee.
Work Item Status
Date Initiated: 09-25-2020
Technical Contact: Blake Haffner
Item: 000
Ballot:
Status: