Some people in the cannabis industry are questioning whether it is appropriate or necessary to test inhaled cannabis products for pathogenic Aspergillus. 

Full disclosure, we at Medicinal Genomics sell qPCR testing kits designed to detect pathogenic Aspergillus on cannabis products. We have also published several resources on our website that describe the potential harms that can be caused by inhaling pathogenic Aspergillus spores and cite with more than 2 dozen Aspergilosis cases in cannabis users. 

We have also recommended that states that are considering cannabis testing regulations adopt pathogenic Aspergillus testing. Not because we sell Aspergillus tests, but because we want to protect patients. 

By almost any measure, cannabis is one of the most safe and effective medicines available. And in many cases, the potential harms that can come from using cannabis are not caused by the plant, but rather contaminants. And although cases are rare, The documented cases describing Aspergillosis deaths from contaminated cannabis vastly outnumber the published clinical risks for every other contaminant for which the cannabis industry tests. There are no documented deaths for cannabis-derived heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticides or incorrect cannabinoid labeling. The same cannot be said 

So that is our position, but of course we acknowledge that we are biased, and we are not experts on pathogenic fungi; however, our guest today is. 

David W. Denning is a Professor of Infectious Diseases in Global Health at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. He was the founding president, executive director, and CEO of Global Action For Fungal Infections, an organization dedicated to reducing the worldwide burden of fungal disease.

In 2016, he became the director of the National Aspergillosis Centre in Manchester, which treats patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), and led the committee that developed the first CPA guidelines. He chairs the editorial board of a website which focusses on aspergillus and he leads an organisation which provides education on fungal diseases. 

In short, Dr. Denning is the leading authority on all things Aspergillus, and we asked him many of the questions that have been debated on social media recently, including: 

• Should cannabis be tested for pathogenic Aspergillus
  
• Should there be an allowable limit for pathogenic Aspergillus?
  
• Is Apergillosis only a concern for immunocompromised patients? 
  
• Are the number of Aspergillosis cases under reported? 
  
• How difficult is Aspergillosis to diagnose and treat? 
  
• How ubiquitous is Aspergillus in the air we breathe? 
  
• and so much more. 
  

Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Modern Canna

Modern Canna is regarded as Florida’s first medical cannabis laboratory and one of the most trusted third party testing providers in the United States. The company’s mission is to help set the standard for cannabis testing labs worldwide by providing the most accurate and efficient testing services, delivered with a sense of compassion, integrity, and moral obligation; and to attract and attain clients who value quality data that is verifiable, reproducible, and legally defensible. Modern Canna is the only Leafly Certified laboratory in the eastern United States and adheres to the industry’s strictest SOPs and quality control standards. Modern Canna offers a wide variety of testing, rapid turnaround times, and consulting services to Florida Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTC’s) and hemp businesses throughout the US.

Learn more at moderncanna.com

Additional Resources

• Too Many Mouldy Joints – Marijuana and Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis
  
• The Aspergillus website
  
• https://en.fungaleducation.org/
  
• Submit an Abstract for CannMed 24
  
• Review the Podcast!
  
• CannMed Archive
  
• CannMed Community Board [Facebook Group]