Happy Friday, folks! Some friends of Vancouver’s Farmer Tom (Lauerman) have been busy putting together a new database of interesting stats all about marijuana strains. It’s called the Cannabis Transparency Project, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should take a few minutes to browse the site.

It’s another piece of the puzzle in our deeper understanding of the new legal marijuana industry. The interactive site allows you to look at the potency of THC, THCA and CBD for a wide variety of strains, and you can see how they tested in particular labs.

It covers far more than just flowers, too. You’ll notice stats for kief, wax, hash oil, etc. Altogether, the project could go a long way for the public in showcasing the quality assurance measures behind the scenes.

The guys behind this nifty project got their information from a massive records request of Liquor Control Board data. Farmer Tom passed along a press release about it this morning. Take a gander.

-Justin Runquist

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Cannabis Transparency Project Provides One-of-a-Kind Public Access to Data about the Washington State Cannabis Industry

Seattle, Washington – May 26, 2015 – The Cannabis and Social Policy Center (CASP), in conjunction with the Cannabis Commodities Exchange (CCX), would like to introduce the Cannabis Transparency Project (www.cannabistransparency.org).

The Cannabis Transparency Project (CTP) is an open source web application for processing and visually representing information released by the State as part of the Washington State Marijuana Traceability System database via a public records request.

“The idea is to encourage transparency and legitimate trade practices in the industry by providing a user-friendly interface so that anyone can navigate through and discuss this large amount of data,” said Will Farley, project developer and CTO of CCX. Farley hopes other developers will contribute to this project so that this open resource can become “a powerful tool to inform the public about cannabis.”

“This amount and type of data regarding cannabis has never been available for comprehensive analysis before,” said CASP Executive Director Dr. Dominic Corva. “For the first time, for example, we can examine evidence for potency clustering and differentiation across dozens of cultivars. There are many, many other questions that can be answered using this information.”

After using the system for a few days, CASP Affiliate Researcher Dr. Jim MacRae emphatically said, “In one week with this tool, I’ve been able to generate more meaningful insight into the state of Cannabis potency testing in Washington than I was able to in three weeks using the tools I traditionally use. I feel like a kid in a data candy store.”

Cannabis prohibition has been marked by inadequate public access to information about the potential harms or benefits of cannabis. This type of web resource has the ability to inform the public and policymakers about cannabis like never before while ensuring that the Washington cannabis industry is armed with empirical data and analysis as the industry grows and evolves.