Cannabis is a genus of angiosperms, or flowering plants. Cannabis belongs to the family Cannabaceae, which recognizes three primary species: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis.
This versatile plant originates from Central Asia and dates back to over 12,000 years ago, around 500 BC. Similar to now, ancient cultures cultivated cannabis for herbal medicine. There’s even some evidence that these ancient cultures knew about and utilized the psychoactive properties of cannabis for religious and/or healing purposes. In addition to its mind-altering effects, cannabis has also been used to produce hemp fibers and oils. Hemp, a class of Cannabis sativa, has been refined and used for a multitude of commercial items, including: textiles, paper, rope, animal feed, and food. Hemp was primarily industrialized due to its fast growing nature and difference in phytochemical composition — it contains lower levels of THC, and higher levels of CBD.
FORMS OF CANNABIS
As for medicinal and recreational cannabis, there is a wide variety of forms in which you are able to consume it. All of these forms fall under three main categories:
- Chemical concentrates/extracts
- Plant material/flower
- Edibles
In the lab, all three of the above categories are called a ‘report matrix’. A report matrix is basically a broad umbrella term labs use to both simplify and classify a larger group. Under a report matrix, there are different forms and variations of cannabis. These different forms are referred as a ‘sample matrix’. For example, say we receive a batch of vapes, pre-rolls, and chocolate – this is an example of an item’s sample matrix. Let’s look at their report matrices now. The vapes are considered a chemical/extract report matrix, pre-rolls are a plant material/flower matrix, and the chocolate is an edible matrix.
To expand upon this concept further, the three kinds of report matrices and some of their various types of sample matrices are listed below.
CHEMICAL CONCENTRATES/EXTRACTS:
Concentrates:
- Bubble Hash
- Budder
- Crumble
- Rosin
- Hash
- Rick Sampson Oil (RSO)
- Shatter
- Wax
Oral & Sublingual:
- Capsules/Theragels
- Extract
- Inhaler
- Terpene Extract
- Tincture
Vape:
- All-in-One
- Cartridge
- Pod
- Syringe
Topical:
- Balm/Lotion
- Patches
PLANT MATERIAL/FLOWER:
- Kief
- Popcorn Flower
- Pre-ground Flower
- Pre-rolls
- Shake
- Sift
- Trim
EDIBLES:
- Brownies
- Chocolate
- Cookies
- Gelatins/Gummies
- Lozenges
- Mints