Introduction

Welcome to the dynamic world of the cannabis industry, where the quality of the final product is much more than meets the eye. In this blog, we're going to explore what really goes into making elite cannabis. For the purpose of this blog, we’re going to deconstruct ‘quality’ into two forms – front-end quality (consumer facing attributes) and back-end quality (production & regulatory attributes). At a high-level, we can think of front-end quality as how it smokes/affects us, and we can think of back-end quality as the safety & consistency associated with the product. This deconstruction and exploration will take us from the visible traits like the plant's appearance, potency, aroma, and purity to the behind-the-scenes action at the growing facility itself - the regulations, growing techniques, quality processes, and laboratory test results. It's not just about growing a plant; it's about a detailed and careful process that ensures what ends up in your hands is safe, consistent (or at least as consistent as possible) and of the highest standard. In other words, growing high quality cannabis is both an art and a science. 

Section 1: Front-End Quality

First, we’re going to tackle front-end quality. Broadly speaking, front-end quality attributes are perceived more by end consumers. In no particular order, here are the most common front-end quality attributes that consumers typically use to evaluate their product:

Appearance → We’ve also heard the term ‘bud integrity’ used to evaluate the appearance of flower. Is the bud whole & dense, or does it have noticeable gaps? Has it been trimmed cleanly or sloppily? The color of the flower is also important – not that any one particular color is better, rather, does the color line up with genes of that particular cultivar? Finally, visual inspection of trichomes will tell a story as well. Generally speaking, the more the better (i.e. more ‘frostier’ looking). That said, an abundance of trichomes doesn’t tell the whole story; are they clear, milky white, or amber-ish/yellow? Clear means the flower may have been harvested too early and hasn’t been properly cured. Amber/gold means the flower was harvested too late and THC degradation has begun. Milky white = just right! 

Potency → Much could be written here and potency is often subjective, but what is absolutely true is that there is much more than just the stated THC% telling a story here. When it comes to cannabis flower, there will always be an ‘entourage effect’, where many cannabinoids (as much as 100s!) will interact with each other to deliver a specific effect. As the wellness product market develops, consumers may be  more interested in minor compounds like CBN or CBG rather than THC. Terpenes may also impact how potent we feel a product is. Bottom line, don’t evaluate the quality of flower on THC % alone.

Aroma → Often described as ‘head’ – the only rule of thumb that applies here is, the stronger the better! Much like color however, the aroma of flower should be specific to the genetics it came from. This is also where terpenes come into play. The higher the % of terpenes, the more ‘flavor’ a patient/consumer will taste. Like many front-end quality attributes, aroma is subjective and certain terpene profiles may appeal more to different consumers. 

Purity → It goes without saying that a contaminant-free product is the desired outcome from a safety and quality perspective. The presence of powdery mildew (or ‘PM’, a white, powdery looking substance on cannabis flower) indicates a serious quality issue. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not safe to consume (though we wouldn’t recommend it), but it DOES mean the plant was sick and PM will adversely impact the purity and potency of the plant. 

Section 2: Back-End Quality 

There are a LOT of considerations when it comes to back-end quality. For instance, different cultivation techniques can influence flavour, potency and even how the flower smokes. Furthermore, the science of processing can have profound impacts on the preservation or degradation of final derivative products. Without getting prescriptive re: superior cultivation & processing techniques, (indoor vs outdoor, organic vs. non-organic, different post-harvest processes etc.) what we will say is that the formula for back-end quality could look something like genetic potential x grower expertise x quality assurance. 

Genetics are the blueprint for flower. It goes without saying that bad genetics will seriously handicap your flower right out of the gate. Doesn’t matter how talented your grower is or how buttoned-down your QA team is, poor genetics = poor quality product. 

Assuming you have good genetics and cultivation expertise (that best suits the facility), there is still the onerous task of building a QA team and implementing QA at the enterprise level. To be clear, QA is very different from QC, which is typically a single step towards the end of production whereby the final product is determined to have met or not met an internal quality specification. This would be considered ‘table stakes’, and is by no means a differentiating factor when it comes to enterprise quality. 

To get a better understanding of how truly ‘enterprise’ quality assurance can be, we will highlight a few areas which are often overlooked:

Preventative Measures → This includes everything from the selection of genetics to control of environmental conditions (light, temperature, humidity), soil & nutrient management, management of hazards & critical control points, and especially supplier qualification. As cannabis supply chains expand, so to does the risk to quality as one weak link in the chain can adversely impact the end product. Trust is KEY when it comes to supply chain partners. 

Compliance and Regulations → Authorities and regulatory bodies demand adherence to regulations and audit your processes involving the back end of quality. Some states now have provisions that make having a quality management system in place to do just this. As de-scheduling becomes more of an expectation, this form of oversight will favor those who build brands based on the front and back-end approach to safety and quality. Those that cut corners or believe “quality does not sell” will not have a sustainable brand as regulations evolve. 

Lab Testing → Considered a hot topic today in light of ‘THC inflation’ debates, the burden of testing does not entirely fall on third party testing laboratories. QA are usually responsible for the ‘sampling’ process which can not only influence testing outcomes but can also lead to wider discrepancies between potency claims made on a label, ultimately leading to customer dissatisfaction when they are not getting the product consistency they desire. This is especially true for medical patients that may sometimes require specific levels of potency. Furthermore, regardless of COA pass/fail results, QA teams should be tracking test results for individual analytes in order to do a proper trend analysis and ensure finished products are meeting their own internal specification as well. This best practice drives product consistency. 

Section 3: Connecting Front-End and Back-End

Hopefully this blog has given you a more complete picture of quality in cannabis. The journey of cannabis flower from seed to consumer is a long one and consumers are often only privy to the post-harvest journey. 

Back-end quality attributes like genetics selection, along with the strength of your growing and quality assurance teams will absolutely impact the front-end quality attributes that consumers typically ‘grade’ their flower by. 

Connecting the front end and back-end does not require multiple solutions or confusing array of unintegrated platforms. It does require an approach that aligns the front with the back -end quality brand attributes in an easy and efficient (low cost) manner. 

Of course, any business is resource-constrained and cannabis is no exception – in fact, one could argue it’s even more resource constrained that other regulated sectors like food & beverage or pharma given the tax burden and relative nascency of (constantly evolving) cannabis regulations. As such, it’s important to be as innovative as possible when it comes to managing the back-end of your operation. 

Here is a shortlist of some examples of innovations in cannabis QA:

Advanced Analytical Testing Techniques → Advances in next-generation sequencing as well as spectroscopy and chromatography allow for more frequent and comprehensive testing

Cultivation & Harvesting Innovations → Automated climate control & monitoring systems as well as leveraging data analytics via IoT sensors ensures real-time quality management + better informed decision making

Digitized Quality Management Systems → Digitizing and automating an entire Quality Management System will save massive amounts of time all the while ensuring adherence to internal controls and external regulations alike. This results in a more compliant and more consistent product.

Furthermore, using a system like C15 Solutions that comes ready to integrate into complimentary systems like your ERP, S2S, environment controls, or even LIMS enables an operation to achieve true ‘enterprise’ quality assurance, while dramatically lowering associated production costs like waste, re-work, audit observations/penalties, recalls, etc. 

A brand needs to build trust in the consumer and this best comes from holding front-end and back-end standards to the level of your brand attributes.

We encourage readers, be they facility managers, budtenders or consumers, to start asking more back-end quality questions to get the complete picture of the product they produce, sell or consume. Product education is a big theme for a sector fresh out of prohibition and, in our opinion, back-end quality doesn’t get the attention it deserves!