After the passage of Prop 64 in November 2016, cannabis is now legal for adult recreational use in the state of California. As a result, California’s legal cannabis industry has exploded. The state is now home to an ever increasing number of legal cannabis producers, vendors, and entrepreneurs.
But one overlooked facet of the legal cannabis phenomenon is cannabis testing. Growers and dispensaries in the medical cannabis market operated for years with little oversight. However, with the accelerated growth of the legal cannabis industry and more people choosing to try cannabis for the first time, high quality and reliable cannabis testing is now essential.
So why test?
Consumer Safety
Cannabis goes through a long journey from seed to plant to processing before finally ending up on the shelf as a packaged retail product. Along the way, there are many potential sources of contamination.
Heavy metals found in soil can be absorbed through the roots and become concentrated in the plant. The natural moisture in cannabis can foster the growth of microbes. Pesticides and processing chemicals can be left behind at unsafe levels.
Any potential contaminant poses a risk to the health of consumers. Cannabis testing is the only way to ensure that your products are free of contamination and safe for consumption.
Quality Control and Assurance
Want to make sure that you’re offering the highest quality and most consistent product possible? Then you need to be testing.
Consumers are looking for products they can dose easily and that give predictable effects. Cannabis testing allows you to put a number on characteristics like potency and contaminants so that your customers know exactly what they’re getting.
Some cannabis testing labs even offer quality assurance testing so that you can improve your processes and prevent regulations issues down the line.
Meeting California State Regulations
Assuring the quality and safety of your product for your customers is obviously a top priority. But aside from the desire to provide high quality flower, edibles, and other cannabis products, growers, manufacturers, and dispensaries now also face a legal obligation.
With the passage of Prop 64, also known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, the state created a new regulatory body, the California Bureau of Cannabis Control, and enacted a new set of regulations. Under these regulations, cannabis products purchased from any state licensed dispensary must undergo testing by a state-accredited lab.
The testing requirements differ depending on the type of product. For example, inhalable cannabis products like flower typically require testing for the following characteristics:
- Cannabinoids (potency)
- Foreign material
- Heavy metals
- Microbial impurities
- Moisture content and water activity
- Mycotoxins
- Pesticides
- Residual solvents and processing chemicals
- Terpenoids
Conclusion
With cannabis finally in the legal realm, cannabis testing has emerged as a key aspect of the new industry. Cannabis testing enables growers and sellers to meet California state regulations while offering high-quality, easy to dose products that customers can feel safe consuming.
Encore Labs specializes in premier quality and accurate cannabis testing. Contact us for more information.