Editor’s Note:
As predicted, this story elicited a combination of fascination, excitement, anger and jealousy. Steve Walser’s Buddy Boy Farm in Eastern Washington certainly got the industry talking with its 41% THC test results. In some ways, it did exactly what we were hoping it would do when we put the story and a God’s Gift image on our April 2015 cover.
And like so many stories that came out of Washington, they were precursors to the storylines that would catch national exposure once the adult-use industry expanded to California and larger states on the East Coast and Midwest. We’ve gotten to know Steve over the years, and I believe his story is completely on the up and up — even though the number itself does not feel representative of true potency — but that story foretold where the industry would go, as we continue to see stories about potency inflation and lab shopping, almost 10 years later.
The following story was originally published in the April 2015 issue of Marijuana Venture.
I know many readers picked up the April 2015 issue of Marijuana Venture and did a double-take at the cover. Reactions probably included shock, anger, curiosity, jealousy, excitement and maybe everything in between.
In early October 2014, Walser received some eye-popping test results from Anatek Labs in Spokane. His God’s Gift strain had been tested at 41.7% THC-A and 36.6% total THC.
“I was astounded, and, at first, quite skeptical that this could be true,” he wrote in his Marijuana Venture article. “We had already seen some test results higher than 30%, but I figured that somehow, somewhere a mistake had been made to give a result that high.”
Anatek lab manager Kathy Sattler also admits to being skeptical, but she told Marijuana Venture that particular sample was re-extracted and retested multiple times, and the machines were recalibrated to make sure they were correct. She stands by the result, even in the face of negativity from other testing labs and producers.
“I know that a lot of people are saying that Anatek’s getting so much higher (results) than anybody else,” Sattler said. “So we’ve been looking at why we’re getting higher.”
There are plenty of accusations flying around Washington about producers attempting to game the system by dipping buds in hash oil or rolling them in kief. The same accusations are shot at testing labs, as if they are handing out higher numbers to gain more clients.
But where is the proof?
Sattler said Anatek’s cannabis sector only makes up a miniscule portion of the business, which focuses primarily on environmental testing and water quality.
“That portion of the business (cannabis) is less than 1% of our total business. People come to me and say, ‘You have an interest to get higher results to get more business.’ I could put a sign on my door that says, ‘No more cannabis,’ today and we would still be in business. I don’t care if people get high results.”
She said the credibility of providing accurate information is more important in the broad scope of Anatek than it is to make a money grab for extra cannabis clients.
In some cases, Anatek has sent out samples to other labs to double-check results. Sometimes the result comes back the same and other times it has come back lower from the other lab, Sattler said. In the case of Walser’s controversial sample, there wasn’t enough left to send out to other labs after retesting it several times, Sattler said. As far as producers “spiking” their own samples, Sattler said she doesn’t think that’s common. Each sample is thoroughly inspected visually, she said, for any abnormalities or foreign matter.
If hash oil were to be added to the samples, she said it would be noticeable when the lab technician attempted to grind the flower into a fine powder. We knew that Sattler and Anatek would stand by their test results, and that Walser would stand by his product. We also knew that every other testing lab and producer would cry foul.
But it’s one person’s word against another, at least until a better system for testing can be implemented. If nothing else, this story shows the potential for significant discrepancy between one lab and another, and highlights the need for more defined regulations.
When we heard of a flower testing at higher than 40%, we were initially skeptical, and frankly, we remain skeptical. That said, we didn’t decide to publish Steve Walser’s story because we were ignorant of the debate it would ignite. We published his story because we look forward to that debate. Ultimately, we want to be a voice that helps move this industry forward, rather than enabling it to stand still.
By Garrett Rudolph
MARIJUANA VENTURE
APRIL 2015