What made those smoking sessions so great? Was it the bud’s sweetness, the smoothness of the toke, or the flower’s delightful smell? Whatever your reason, many people choose cannabis because it’s a natural solution; expecting a high level of quality.

Many people who use recreational or medicinal drugs rely on lab testing to ensure they are getting a safe and accurate product. However, more and more products with inflated THC levels, inaccurate measurements of minor cannabinoids, and pesticides are being sold at dispensaries. A lot of pesticides, molds, and other chemicals that are dangerous to ingest are found in cannabis without the user’s knowledge. The main challenge for the industry is getting users to be more aware of this problem.

As fraudulent lab results in the cannabis industry become more prevalent, users are beginning to demand change. We believe that this will be one of the most significant events to occur in cannabis since recreational legalization.

Potency Inflation is Controlling a Multi-Billion Dollar Market

Once marijuana became a business, large companies began to dominate the market. Unlike before when small businesses thrived, these big corporations struggled to maintain quality control. The solution they found was deceit: They would doctor THC numbers and pay off their testing lab partners while convincing the public that high THC levels were desirable.

THC hasn’t always been a gauge of quality, but now that more high-THC strains have arisen, growers are primarily concerned with achieving higher THC test scores to the dismay of qualities like aroma or taste.

The proliferation of fake THC results and high levels has done extensive harm to the honest growers, labs, and cannabis companies across America. Most have gone bankrupt because they can’t compete with their dishonest competitors who post misleading test scores. With so much manipulation and deception present, it’s hard to keep up. It seems like this problem is only going to continue getting worse.

A History of Losing Regulatory Control

After recreational marijuana became legal, both cannabis lobbyists and professional testing labs seized the opportunity to make money off of state-controlled taxation. They advocated that every batch needed to be tested before being sold; however, what they got in return was less transparency from cannabis entities and high-volume testing from labs who were only interested in making a profit.

Given that private labs were assigned the task, it’s unsurprising that what was intended to be a regulatory system devolved into a for-profit scheme.

When a crop fails a test, the easy solution is to go to a more relaxed testing lab. However, this consequence creates an unfair system where moral labs have to choose between giving in or going out of business.

Many labs across the US have reported that growers are anticipating changed results and dishonest labs are giving them false information. This ongoing problem promotes dishonesty, creating an echo-chamber in which the “best” labs are those who give the most lenient results. It’s evident that these labs didn’t pursue science and chemistry to be overpowered by money-hungry growers and business people. Some have dedicated their livelihoods to their labors, yet they’re being blackmailed into cheating due to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges at hand.

Fraud isn’t only common in the cannabis industry–most of the pesticides used haven’t been examined for safety when inhaled! For example, Scientists have not been able to ascertain a cause of Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), but CHS has been related to the use of concentrated THC. Similarly, it has 10 times more pesticides than flower alone would generally contain. Further research is necessary. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only obstacle we’re facing – oil extraction companies can make subpar batches of oil and sell them to dispensaries by using stickers that originally passed from another batch. Because of the lack of reliable research and fraudulent results, there is now a monopolistic wholesale cannabis market that endangers consumers.

If testing labs do not have strict regulations from governing bodies, the results of tests could be inaccurate. Also, these businesses may feel inclined to change their findings to make themselves look better and increase the chance of staying in business.

What Needs to Change?

To ensure that the cannabis industry is run smoothly and correctly, many people are fighting for more transparent testing. This would mean that labs and cannabis companies have no business relationship with one another. In order to make this happen, changes need to be made to legal language so that better enforcement of testing regulations and compliance can take place. With this in mind, labs need to act as regulators, test results need be released publicly, and consumers must be protected throughout the process.

By state agencies only contracting private labs and farms footing the bill for tests, high-volume testing is possible while also removing any potential pressure on private labs from the farms that could then lead to inaccurate results.

A software solution could easily tracking licensed labs and growers, selecting product batches to be sent to certain dispensaries, calculating which dispensaries each lab visits, and testing different batches.

Growers and labs caught breaking the law should have to face more serious penalties. If you commit fraud in other industries, you lose your license to operate. But in the cannabis industry, people who break the law have only received small fines. For example, two labs in Florida recently had to pay fines between $2,000 and $6,000 for lying about THC levels.

The Cannabis Community Needs to Take a Stand

The mainstream corporations don’t know what’s coming for them- the cannabis industry is booming because of the counterculture movement. With this story continuing to gain traction and importance, activism will become more common in every state where it has been legalized.

Help improve the quality of cannabis by giving feedback to growers! If you have a negative reaction to a product, let the dispensary and other potential customers know. Adverse effects such as throat soreness, headaches, or nausea could be warning signs of pesticides. Also, if you want growers to continue providing high-quality products, provide support and reviews when they succeed! In this way, they can learn what consumers are looking for and make the necessary changes. Some key factors that cannabis users look for is a clean taste and smooth smoking experience. By demanding these standards from these companies, it will force them to improve their grow systems and better control the environment – thus giving us a higher quality product in return.

In general, high test scores indicate that the sample wasn’t handled properly. The dispensaries selling products with THC levels >30% are aware that they’re selling artificially inflated products.

If cannabis businesses don’t stop lying to consumers, it could cause permanent damage. Those who have been lied to should take action now.

Cannabis Potency Testing

At our cannabis testing laboratory, we provide business owners with reliable and accurate results for THC and CBD levels in marijuana and CBD products. This way, they can be confident in what they are selling to their customers.

Cannabis products have seen a surge in usage over the years. With medical cannabis now legal in many places, people are turning to it as a way to self-treat various conditions like pain or stress.

It is important for consumers to only use cannabis products that have been tested for potency. The testing ensures that consumers know exactly what they are getting in terms of quality and strength.

Why is Cannabis Potency Testing Required?

Various states have different laws regarding cannabis potency testing, but generally, products must be tested for potency before they can be distributed to the public. There are standards in place that restrict the amount of THC or CBD in a product, especially extract products. If lab results show that a product does not meet these standards, it cannot be distributed legally to consumers.

The main reason why potency testing is done is to verify that the products are safe for human use. In addition, it provides consumers with information on the potency of the product so they know what effects to expect. For many people, psychoactive effects are not desired when trying CBD or hemp extract products.

The cannabis plant is very absorbent, so any chemicals or pesticides it comes into contact with can be taken in. To guarantee that products are safe for human use, potency tests must be performed.

The testing will also determine if any fungus or molds are growing on the products. If so, this could potentially harm someone’s health – which is something we obviously want to avoid. It’s the consumer’s interest that is most important; their safety is our number one priority.

Testing Considerations for Cannabis Products

Before a cannabis product can go through potency testing, it has to be decided if the product will be distributed for recreational or medicinal use. There are different sets of standards for medicinal products and products used for recreational use.

Medical marijuana products are tested to determine the healing potential of the products. The products go through extensive testing to determine the levels of cannabidiol (CBD), terpenes, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) present. There are specific levels that are deemed to be acceptable for human consumption and if the products do not meet these standards, they cannot be legally distributed to consumers.

The Benefits of Cannabis Potency Testing

After testing the cannabis for potency, individuals will be aware of how powerful the products are and if there are any impurities. The policies for crafting and selling cannabis items varies from state to state. Before attempting to sell in a particular state, take note of that area’s regulations regarding marijuana distribution.

If you sell products that don’t follow the specific regulations of the area, you could end up with some hefty legal penalties. To give an example, a few states only allow certain levels of pesticides in products that are sold to customers while other states forbid more than 50 different types. And testing is done yet again to give buyers peace of mind knowing they’re buying trustworthy items that are safe for them to use.

You can only get a Certificate of Analysis from certified labs, and it is necessary in many states because without one, consumers wouldn’t know what they’re buying. The certificate protects manufacturers by making sure that only high-quality products are being distributed to the public. Without it, companies would be more susceptible to legal problems down the line.