Cannabis Testing: What is it?

There are many reasons why one might need to perform some cannabis testing. It is generally a part of the process to ensure that the quality of the cannabis put out to the market is maintained at a high level.

Aocs.org explains the following about the process of cannabis testing:

Despite a rocky start, the cannabis testing industry has matured rapidly in a relatively short period, and many competent, certified testing labs are now providing reliable quantitative data to producers and consumers. However, because most cannabis testing labs have developed their proprietary methods, with little cross-validation among labs, many experts believe that there is a need for standardized analytical methods.

It is critically important that all testing labs have the resources that they need to continue to perform these tests and to maintain the quality of the cannabis products that are released to the market.

What Can You Test?

It is incredibly important to understand what specifically one can test to ensure that cannabis products are of the highest quality possible. With that in mind, it is important to think about the most common testing procedures, including:

  • Cannabinoid Analysis – Understanding the makeup of the compounds within the strains of marijuana that one wants to put onto the market is important. This test can help determine the makeup of THC, CBD, and CBN within the specific sample of cannabis that is being tested. This allows for the proper marketing and packaging of the marijuana that one wants to sell.
  • Pesticide Testing – Farmers frequently use pesticides to help keep crop-destroying pests and insects off of the crops that they are growing. However, the consumption of some of those pesticide products can prove toxic to the consumer. Therefore, testing for the existence of those pesticides on the marijuana crops that one has grown must be performed routinely.
  • Heavy Metal Detection – It is possible for certain heavy metals to make their way into the cannabis products that might end up on store shelves somewhere. A few of the metals that one must be concerned about include cadmium, mercury, lead, copper, tungsten, and arsenic. No one wants those metals to make their way into the cannabis that they consume, and that is why testing is necessary to eliminate the possibility that these metals might interfere with the quality of the cannabis that you consume.

These are just a few of the tests that a lab can run to ensure that the cannabis that makes its way to the market is the best cannabis imaginable.

Are There Big Testing Agencies in the USA?

The cannabis industry is slowly but surely growing in the United States. Many states have legalized the use of the substance for medicinal purposes, recreational purposes, or both. This has bolstered the need for big testing agencies in the United States. A few of those agencies include the following:

Waters Corporation

Founded in 1983, the Waters Corporation has a long record as a testing corporation. They have primarily operated in the pharmaceutical industry during that time. However, they now have a hand in the cannabis testing market as well. They have more than 1,000 employees and a lengthy history of getting things right.

Encore Labs

Touting itself as California’s premier cannabis testing lab, Encore Labs has been around since 2017. They were founded on the principle of testing cannabis to ensure that only the best cannabis products are landing on store shelves. It is one of the places where you can trust your cannabis will be properly tested and tested rapidly.

Kaycha Labs

Although they were founded just in 2016, Kaycha Labs has amassed an impressive 100-249 employees to work on cannabis testing. They are based in Davie, Florida and provide all of the testing services mentioned above and many other services on top of that. Their approach has proven to be highly effective.

What is a COA or Certificate of Analysis?

When you walk out of your doctor’s office after a routine check-up you may request a document from your doctor that details some of the health factors that are relevant to you as an individual. Your doctor can go over all of that with you and help you to best understand the factors that matter the most to you. A Certificate of Analysis or COA is very similar to this type of document when it comes to what is contained with the cannabis that has been tested.

The COA report shows a complete and detailed breakdown of what is contained within the sample. It will contain the following elements to it:

  • Terpene profile
  • Potency profile
  • Microbiology profile
  • Mycotoxin profile
  • Residual solvents
  • Heavy metals screening
  • Pesticide screening

Each of these is a piece of the puzzle that you want to have in your hands to best understand what a specific strain of cannabis truly consists of. When you put that all together, you can see it all come together in ways that you might not have otherwise expected.

Tips for Choosing a Cannabis Testing Company

At the end of the day, you want to know which cannabis testing company you should ultimately decide to use for your testing needs. It might feel like every company is virtually the same and you can simply select whichever one you happen to come across first, but that is not the case. The reality is that you should think carefully about which companies you want to specifically utilize to help ensure that you get the most from the services they have to offer you.

Consider the following elements:

  • The cost of the services offered by a testing company
  • The extent of testing that the company can provide
  • The reputation of the company
  • The history of testing performed by the company
  • The speed of service offered by that company

You certainly don’t want to trust a company with a limited history or scope of information about the services that they can provide. You deserve the opportunity to work with a company that can assist you with everything related to your cannabis testing process. For more information on how this works, please contact us for the latest.

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