Only eighteen of California’s thirty eight licensed testing labs are in compliance with the state’s new standardized cannabinoids testing guidelines, which are designed to combat potency inflation. Until they demonstrate compliance with the new guidelines, the other twenty licensed labs will not be permitted to test flower.
Operators in California are more than familiar with the widespread problem of lab shopping, wherein growers pit competing labs against one another in search of the highest THC results. The practice encourages labs to boost THC reports and mislead consumers. A 2022 study conducted by Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs, one of California’s compliant laboratories, self-tested more than 150 randomly selected flower samples from retail shelves and found 87 percent failed to meet the total cannabinoid levels claimed on their labels. According to Infinite’s analysis, more than half the tested flower showed a 20-percent deviation.
To address the issue, in 2021 California passed SB-544, which required the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to develop a standardized cannabinoids test method and standardized operating procedures for testing dried flower, including non-infused pre-rolls. The law took effect January 1, 2024, but fewer than half the industry’s licensed labs have caught up.
According to the DCC’s website—last updated January 8, 2024—the following licensed laboratories are in compliance with state law and permitted to test flower.
- 2 Rivers Labs
- AGQ Green Nature
- Anresco Incorporated
- Bel Costa Labs Long Beach
- California Cannabis Testing Labs
- CaliGreen Laboratory
- Certified Ag Labs
- Confidence Analytics
- Encore Labs
- Harrens Lab Inc.
- HK Holding
- ILS Lab Inc.
- Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs
- Landau Laboratories Inc.
- pH Solutions
- Pure Cannalyst Lab Inc.
- Purity Medical Laboratories
- SC Laboratories California
All other licensed labs may continue to test other cannabis products including edibles and vape cartridges, but they’ll be subject to disciplinary action if they continue testing flower without being certified by the DCC under the state’s new standards. (Full Story)