Best Blogs of 2021

The inaugural year of the Hound Labs Blog will also be the inaugural year of The HOUNDIES™ – awards given to the Best Hound Labs Blogs of the Year as determined by a panel of judges (Google Analytics, LinkedIn Insights, Yours Truly). One of the longer posts of the year – it’s a good thing you will have two weeks to read all the nominees since this will run for two weeks during the holiday season.

There are 10 Award Categories:

1. MOST ORIGINAL TOPIC
2. PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
3. BEST GUEST BLOG
4. THE BEST SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY
5. BEST DOCUMENTARY
6. BEST SEQUEL
7. BEST INTERVIEW FORMAT
8. BEST BY THE NUMBERS
9. THE BEST BLOG OF THE YEAR
10. BEST GRAPHIC

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1. MOST ORIGINAL TOPIC

Nominees:

• The Importance of a Negative Test. By Nina M. French.
• The Importance of Human Subject Testing. By Dr. Mike Lynn

The Winner: The Importance of a Negative Test. By Nina M. French.
Legalization of cannabis made this a hot topic. Conventional cannabis drug tests are much more likely to provide non-negative (positive) results because they detect cannabis use for days, weeks, or months prior to the test.  Testing breath for cannabis (where it can only be detected for up to 4 hours) means that negative test results are likely unless an employee or driver used cannabis within a few hours of the test. The clever shift from the expected focus on “positive” results to “negative” ones, resonated with both employers and employees because the vast majority of cannabis test results are negative.

2. PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Nominees:

• Impacts of Cannabis Legalization. Insights from the Insurance Industry. By Jenny F. Lynn with Jaime Feinberg.
• Social Equity and Cannabis Testing. Breath Testing: Fairer Outcomes. By Nina M. French.
• Top 10 Reasons to Like Hound Labs. By Jenny F. Lynn

The Winner: Breath Testing: Fairer Outcomes for Everyone. By Nina M. French.
An award that recognizes engagement with readers, not just the volume of readers, this blog distanced itself early from the rest of the field.

3. BEST GUEST BLOG

Nominee:

• Cannabis Testing Is Here to Stay. By Christine M. Jensen.

The Winner: Cannabis Testing Is Here to Stay. By Christine M. Jensen.
Nominated blogs must be authored solely by a guest blogger. Christine nailed it this year, choosing a topic frequently in the headlines. Expect a lot more competition in this category next year as word on the street is that several guest blogs are already in production.

4. BEST SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY BLOG

Nominees:

• The Challenges of Building a Cannabis Breathalyzer. By Dr. Mike Lynn.
• The Importance of Testing with Human Subjects. By Dr. Mike Lynn.
• The Complexities of Researching THC in Breath. By Dr. Mike Lynn.

The Winner: The Importance of Testing with Human Subjects. By Dr. Mike Lynn.
A fan favorite, Dr. Lynn’s ability to write about complex scientific topics in a way that those of us without advanced scientific degrees can understand, explains why he dominated this category. All 3 blogs are truly must-read.

5. BEST DOCUMENTARY (BASED ON TRUE EVENTS)

Nominees:

• The World of Cannabis Testing (Episode 1). By Jenny Lynn.
• The World of Cannabis Testing (Episode 2). By Louisa Ashford.
• The Challenges of Building a Cannabis Breathalyzer. By Dr. Mike Lynn.

The Winner: The World of Cannabis Testing (Episode 2). By Louisa Ashford.
One of the most competitive categories this awards season, the blog written by Louisa Ashford provided interesting insights from employees who compared their experiences with breath testing and oral fluid.

6. BEST SEQUEL

Nominees:

• 2021 Update #4: Cannabis Legalization. By Doug Boxer.
• The World of Cannabis Testing (Episode 2). By Louisa Ashford.
• The Challenges of Building a Cannabis Breathalyzer (Part 2). By Dr. Mike Lynn.
• Social Equity and Cannabis Testing (Part 2). Nina M. French.
• Marijuana Drug Testing Today. By Louisa Ashford.

The Winner: 2021 Update #4: Cannabis Legalization and Social Equity and Cannabis Testing (Part 2). By Doug Boxer.
One of this year’s most competitive categories, I expect all these franchises to continue to produce high-quality content in 2022.

7. BEST INTERVIEW FORMAT

Nominees:

• Impacts of Cannabis Legalization. Insights from the Insurance Industry. By Jenny F. Lynn with Jaime Feinberg.
• Looking Deeper at the Legal Effects of Cannabis Legalization. By Jessica Cohen Taubman.
• An Insurance, Risk, and Safety Perspective on Cannabis Testing. By Jenny F. Lynn with Jaime Feinberg.

The Winner: Looking Deeper at the Legal Effects of Cannabis Legalization. By Jessica Cohen Taubman.
Some might consider this an upset, but those who follow the category recognized Jessica’s ability to capture some great quotes from John Thomas, employment lawyer with McGuire Woods. Including, “The goal of these per se standards is to allow employers to determine if an employee is impaired at work without subjective analysis. Although the goal is well-intentioned, studies have found it difficult to calculate what blood concentrations (or other body fluid) of THC mean in terms of actual impairment…”

Expect more surprising things in this category in 2022 as several new interviews are scheduled for 1Q22. In addition, one of the biggest talent surprises of the year happened in this category. Jaime Feinberg switched production houses and as VP of Partnerships for Safety, Risk, and Insurance, she will be leading several interviews.

8. BEST BY THE NUMBERS

Nominees:

• Impacts of Cannabis Legalization. Insights from the Insurance Industry. By Jenny F. Lynn with Jaime Feinberg.
• Marijuana Drug Testing Today. By Louisa Ashford.
• A Primer for States Legalizing Cannabis. By Hounds Labs (Doug Boxer, Jenny F. Lynn, and Nina M. French).
• Time Not Levels: Why Test for Recent Use? By Jenny F. Lynn.
• Social Equity and Cannabis Testing. Breath Testing: Fairer Outcomes. By Nina M. French.

The Winner: Time Not Levels: Why Test for Recent Use? By Jenny F. Lynn.
Page views and unique page visitors certified by the Google Analytics division of the firm Google, no surprises here as this blog dominated both categories. However, most will be quick to point out that’s because not only was this distributed early, but placement of this blog on the top of the Hound Labs home page provided a huge opportunity to build awareness. Pundits will be watching to see if one of the other bloggers can unseat Jenny’s prime location. It will be tough – its very popular content is one of the topics most readers want to understand as more states legalize recreational cannabis use.

9. BEST BLOG OF THE YEAR

Nominees:

• Social Equity and Cannabis Testing. Breath Testing: Fairer Outcomes. By Nina M. French.
• Marijuana Positivity Rates: What do They Really Mean? By Nina M. French.
• What do Mining Companies, Restaurants, Manufacturers, and Casinos Have in Common? By Jenny F. Lynn.
• How to Evaluate a Cannabis Breathalyzer. By Dr. Mike Lynn.
• How and When to Use Post-Hire Testing. By Nina M. French.

The Winner: Social Equity and Cannabis Testing. Breath Testing: Fairer Outcomes. By Nina M. French.
This blog was not only a fan favorite with more engagement than other posts, it also held its own based on the number of page views and unique visitors.

10. BEST BLOG GRAPHIC OF THE YEAR

Nominees:

10 Reasons to Like Hound Labs. By Jenny F. Lynn.

A Primer for Future States Legalizing Cannabis. By Hounds Labs (Doug Boxer, Jenny F. Lynn, and Nina M. French).

The World of Cannabis Testing (Episode 1 and Episode 2). By Jenny F. Lynn and Louisa Ashford.

Social Equity and Cannabis Testing (Part 1 and Part 2). By Nina M. French.

The Winner: A Primer for Future States Legalizing Cannabis. By Hounds Labs (Doug Boxer, Jenny F. Lynn, and Nina M. French).
Simple yet effective. This eye-catching graphic is the most effective at communicating the main point of the blog.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HEALTHY 2022

We’ll be back the 1st week of January. Jaime Feinberg, VP of Partners for Safety, Risk, and Insurance will be distributing her first blog in her new role with Hound Labs.