Cannabis Lab Testing
Recently government regulators in the cannabis industry have been scrutinizing testing labs. These testing labs play a big part of the cannabis industry’s focus on delivering high-THC products. Part of the issue has to do with state regulators that don’t have systems to check and verify the accuracy of laboratory testing results. Because of this, labs will inflate their potency results that are not accurate, and this is happening throughout the industry.
Lab Shopping
Some cannabis companies are intentionally inflating the amount of THC in its customer’s flower by “lab shopping”. Without state regulators monitoring these testing labs, cannabis growers and product manufacturers are likely to shop around for testing laboratories that produce high THC potency results. There is no doubt that there is a trend in the industry that sees cannabis businesses shopping for labs that will give them favorable test results. The labs have plenty of incentives to engage in that kind of behavior, including getting additional business and charging more for favorable results.
State Cannabis Regulators
The issue of inflated THC potency results and lab shopping are hot topics in the cannabis industry right now. Ideally, state cannabis regulators should use third-party labs that could audit private laboratories. A few states (California and Colorado) that do operate their own testing labs to audit the test results of private labs, however most states do not operate their own testing labs to verify results.
Case in Point
Recently some Florida marijuana testing labs have come under fire as the industry addresses the potency issue. Florida regulators recently investigated and fined several licensed medical cannabis testing labs, (ACS Laboratory, Green Scientific Labs,) scrutinizing a part of the cannabis industry that is increasingly becoming a concern across the country.
Summary
Testing labs say they are struggling to retain market share and losing money as unethical counterparts gain new clients by inflating THC potency numbers. It’s even causing a race to the bottom in which labs are offering lower and lower prices for testing in order to compete. The obsession around potency and the subsequent related problems have led to an increasing call for regulators to create more state-run testing labs that audit testing-lab results.
Wrap up!
Are you interested in learning more about the Cannabis Industry? Contact our Cannabis Industry Subject Matter Experts today at MaxQ Technologies, Inc. We’d love to help you boost the value of your business with our expertise.
