Cannabis Testing Services

Hiring a Trustworthy & Compliant Cannabis Testing Facility

In nearly every legal cannabis market in the world, regulated cannabis products must first be investigated and approved by testing laboratories before they can be distributed to consumers.

What do cannabis testing labs look for?

Depending on the market, legal cannabis products must be verified for safe consumption. These tests typically include checking a product (often cannabis flower or concentrates, although edibles and topicals are another fast-growing industry segment) to verify its purity from a variety of contaminants, including:

• Illegal pesticides
• Solvents
• Heavy metals
• Mold or mildew

These tests are also helpful for checking a cannabis product’s potency in THC and other common cannabinoids like CBD, CBG, and CBN, and for detailing a product’s exact terpene profile, which can play an important role in predicting a cannabis crop’s effects and best use case.

More than compliance: it’s about consumer safety

But it’s not just about the law — the cannabis plant is an excellent soil remediator, which means that it’s very efficient at drawing harmful chemicals out of the soil where it’s grown. While this can be a good thing for the agricultural and farming industries, it also means that cannabis consumers face a heightened risk of exposure to potentially dangerous substances including heavy metals and pesticides when a crop is not grown properly, and even chemical solvents in products with faulty manufacturing practices. And, sadly, some bad actors in the industry have been shown to prioritize wealth over the welfare of cannabis consumers.

Many advocates have called for regulations and the standardization of cannabis testing rules across the various state-legal markets but there has been no significant progress to date. One of the biggest drawbacks to this situation is the reality of so-called “lab shopping,” which is when a cannabis operator prioritizes a certain testing lab because they tend to list higher cannabinoid content than another lab. Whether it’s purposeful inflation of a product’s cannabinoid content or just the result of non-standardized testing procedures, the issue remains concerning for the industry at large.

How do you choose a cannabis testing lab?

There are strategies for picking out and avoiding bad-actor testing labs: some labs, for example, have taken the extra step of acquiring third-party accreditations. This is generally a good sign. You can also discuss the available testing labs with other cannabis entrepreneurs in your area — just keep in mind that, depending on your state market, your testing lab options may ultimately be limited.

Alternatively, you can scroll up to browse through the Ganjapreneur cannabis business index’s list of trustworthy cannabis testing labs.

Do you own or operate a compliant cannabis testing facility and are looking to connect with other cannabis entrepreneurs and/or operators? Create your profile today on the Ganjapreneur cannabis business index! Our business index profiles include additional features and marketing tools to make your networking endeavors simpler than ever.