PR: SICPA partners with Ionization Labs to provide CERTUS for chain-of-custody blockchain authentication of potency test data for hemp and legal cannabis industries

SICPA, a global leader in authentication, document and product security, and track and trace solutions, announced a new partnership with Ionization Labs, developers of a decentralized cannabis and hemp potency testing solution called Cann-ID. The collaboration between SICPA and Ionization Labs provides the hemp and cannabis industry with trusted way to make secure transactions between cultivators, processors, retailers and enabling interstate, intrastate and international commerce.

Leveraging the Cann-ID chemical data platform with SICPA’s CERTUS® blockchain-based authentication facilitates interagency data sharing between the USDA, FDA, US Department of Treasury, Department of Homeland Security and state regulatory agencies who have the tedious task of opening up logistics, banking, insurance, tax revenue, compliance tracking and other resources required for the success of the world’s fastest growing specialty crop.

This collaboration between SICPA and Ionization offers a blockchain-based authentication testing infrastructure using SICPA’s proven CERTUS® technology and Ionization’s Cann-ID potency testing platform. The resulting benefit is the issuance of a trusted, tamper-proof and universally verifiable certificate of analysis (COA) for hemp, cannabis and other agricultural products. CERTUS® records and protects key data in a secure QR code digitally signed and protected by proven KSI® blockchain technology; this enables universal verification by any stakeholder within the supply chain.

Ionization Lab’s Cann-ID solution is a cloud-based chemical data platform built on analytical hardware developed by Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A), one of the world’s leading life sciences solutions companies. Ionization Labs’ clients span the entire seed-to-sale ecosystem, including certified testing labs throughout the United States and select foreign markets.

“Hemp is still a new and evolving market. Growers, buyers, and regulators are plagued with gaps in security and an inability to quickly and immediately confirm biomass meets THC concentration allowances,” said Alex Spelman, Vice President at SICPA. “By incorporating CERTUS® into the Cann-ID platform, Ionization Labs and Agilent Technologies provide users with a much-needed and trusted solution to secure and validate essential testing and potency credentials. These certificates of analysis are a critical underpinning of SICPA’s traceability approach and are vital to have in place for any future track-and-trace functionality.”

Ionization labs Co-Founders Alex Andrawes and Cree Crawford add, “Protecting the integrity of chemical data relating to cannabinoid testing is of paramount importance. The opportunity to partner with SICPA brings a level of trust and transparency, using superior data security that will add to our solution value proposition for the rapidly growing cannabis and hemp industries. The international footprint of SICPA, combined with the power of Cann-ID, will allow our collaboration to support global markets that have an expected combined growth from USD $15.93 billion in 2019, to $112.6 billion by 2027.”

The new platform upgrade will be available to Cann-ID subscribers beginning in April of 2021.

About SICPA

SICPA is a trusted global provider of security inks as well as secured identification, traceability and authentication solutions. With high-technology security inks at the core of its expertise, the company protects the majority of the world’s banknotes, security and value documents, and a wide range of consumer and industrial products. It offers solutions and services ensuring product authentication, traceability and protection as well as ensuring tax administration agencies operate securely and efficiently.

About Ionization Labs

Ionization Labs is an Austin, Texas-based chemical analysis / SaaS software company composed of agriculture, tech, CPG and life sciences industry veterans. The company is committed to delivering powerful chemical data solutions through standardization, innovation and software that empowers its clients with faster, higher quality chemical data. The Ionization Labs’ platform is considered to be the standard for next generation chemical data solutions.