Cannabis Analysis Labs 101: Understanding the Operation
Cannabis analysis labs, also known as cannabis analytical labs, are an essential part of the legal cannabis industry. In addition to safeguarding consumer health by screening for a multitude of contaminants, cannabis analysis labs provide insight into the potency and compound profile of a sample.
This information is critical for informing consumers about exactly what is in the cannabis products they are buying and consuming. Thanks to cannabis analysis labs, consumers can be confident that the products they purchase are safe and of quality.
In this blog, you will learn:
What a cannabis analysis lab does
What kinds of jobs and equipment are in a cannabis analysis lab
What to look for in a cannabis analysis lab
What is a cannabis analysis lab?
Cannabis analysis labs are responsible for testing and analyzing cannabis samples intended for sale by licensed cultivators and manufacturers, ensuring that all products meet regulatory requirements and are safe for consumption. They are the link between cultivators or manufacturers and the cannabis products that make their way to dispensary shelves.
Although they are not highly visible players to consumers, cannabis analysis labs provide services that help prevent contaminated products from reaching the market and threatening public health. In every state with a legal cannabis industry, analysis labs test samples.
What does a cannabis analysis lab do?
Cannabis analysis labs employ highly skilled chemistry and microbiology technicians and analysts to conduct tests with cutting-edge scientific equipment and methods. Their expertise when it comes to these scientific processes is key to understanding everything about a cannabis product.
While different states have their own requirements surrounding testing, True Labs for Cannabis (TLC) offers all of the following:
Cannabinoid profiling
All legal cannabis programs require potency testing of cannabis products to determine their cannabinoid profiles. To identify and quantify all cannabinoids in a given sample, analysis labs employ a process called High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
This method enables cannabis analysis labs to separate the individual compounds from one another and then monitor their degradation to determine the percentage of each cannabinoid contained within a sample.
Terpene profiling
While New Jersey has not traditionally required medical cannabis dispensaries (formerly called alternative treatment centers) to test and profile cannabis samples for terpenes, the Maryland Cannabis Commission testing regulations currently followed by New Jersey require this test.
Cannabis analysis labs conduct terpene profiling using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) to offer an accurate and complete list of terpenes found in cannabis products or samples. This is the only way to ensure consumers that what they are buying is accurate to what is on the label.
Foreign material screening
The state of New Jersey requires all licensed marijuana cultivators and processors to check cannabis products for foreign materials.
True Labs conducts physical, macro-level examination using a UV light, a high-powered microscope, and flotation techniques to inspect cannabis samples for contaminants like rodent feces, hair, or dirt. This is important to ensure that products are free of any materials that may be harmful to the consumer.
Pesticide screening
Because pesticides may be dangerous to humans when inhaled, New Jersey currently prohibits all pesticide use on cannabis plants.
Cannabis analysis laboratories high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) to test for pesticides and ensure that market products are free of contaminants that can cause harm.
Mycotoxin testing
These naturally occurring toxins produced by fungi are among the most dangerous contaminants of cannabis. Because of this, most legal states, including New Jersey, require medical and adult-use cannabis to be tested for mycotoxins. True Labs for Cannabis tests to quantify traces of mycotoxins and ensure that they are at safe levels for consumption.
Learn more about mycotoxin testing on the True Labs blog.
Heavy metals screening
All cannabis manufacturers in New Jersey’s legal market are required to test their products for heavy metals.
True Labs conducts heavy metal screening using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), a testing mechanism that ionizes cannabis samples and thoroughly detects the presence of heavy metals as low as one part per trillion. Because heavy metals are extremely dangerous contaminants to cannabis, testing is absolutely essential to ensure that products are safe for consumption.
Microbial testing
New Jersey requires licensed cannabis cultivators and producers to work with analytical laboratories to test their products for microbes. While some microbes are beneficial to their environments, others are harmful to human health. Testing with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine, as well as agar plating, ensures that there are no dangerous microbes in the products that head to dispensary shelves.
Residual solvent screening
New Jersey requires that manufactured cannabis products be tested for residual solvents prior to being sold by a dispensary. This is done using gas chromatography / mass spectrometry to separate samples into constituent parts for analysis. Because chemical solvents are often used to extract phytocannabinoids and terpenes from plants, screening is important to ensure products are rid of such before being consumed.
Water activity testing
New Jersey is currently following Maryland testing standards on an interim basis, which require water activity level testing on all cannabis products. In an analytical lab, water activity is measured through a meter and used to determine a plant's susceptibility to microbial contamination. With an understanding of the amount of water activity in each plant, cultivators have the ability to maintain high-quality, fresh products.
Lipid additive testing
In August 2021, state regulators announced that certain lipids are banned from vape products. These vaping products may not include inactive ingredients that are artificial flavoring, cutting agents, or additives. This includes Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Vitamin E acetate (VEA), among others. Maryland testing standards also require cannabis analysis labs to test cannabis products for one lipid additive in particular: VEA.
Moisture content testing
New Jersey’s interim cannabis testing rules require that moisture content is measured in raw plant material. Cannabis analysis labs test moisture content with a moisture meter that measures the percentage of water retained compared to the overall weight of a cannabis sample. This is important because too much moisture can cause significant damage and spoilage to cannabis products.
Homogeneity testing
Most states, including New Jersey, require homogeneity testing to ensure that all cannabis products are manufactured consistently and to the highest standards of consumer safety. At True Labs for Cannabis, we perform redundant potency testing to make certain that samples are representative of the larger batch of flower or manufactured products.
What jobs are available in a cannabis lab?
From administrative leadership to the technicians and analysts working in the labs, every position in a cannabis analysis lab plays an important role in ensuring a high-functioning and reliable testing environment.
At True Labs for Cannabis, we maintain pivotal roles across the areas of operational leadership, operational staff, support staff, and business leadership. This includes a variety of jobs in the lab, like technicians, analysts, and lab managers, as well as some outside of it, like sample technicians and drivers.
Read the True Labs for Cannabis guide to jobs in a New Jersey cannabis laboratory.
What kind of equipment is used in a cannabis lab?
Cannabis analysis labs use a variety of equipment to conduct testing of samples. The equipment is used to help analysis gain a deeper understanding of specific samples and generate reliable data regarding the safety and quality of products for consumers.
Laboratory equipment includes everything from chromatographs used to separate, catalog, and quantify various compounds, to water activity meters used to measure the risk of microbial contamination in products. These also include devices like mass spectrometers, which are used to analyze the mass of a particular compound in order to measure it. Read our guide in the link above to learn more about cannabis analytical equipment used in the laboratory.
What you should look for in a cannabis analysis lab
There are a few key considerations to take when it comes time to find the right cannabis analysis lab for your products. The six main factors of any well-functioning analysis lab, include the following:
ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation: Laboratories must meet strict standards to receive ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. This ensures their processes meet international quality standards and you can trust their operational procedures.
Third-party proficiency testing: Third-party proficiency testing demonstrates the accuracy and consistency of laboratory results. If a laboratory is third-party proficiency certified, it means their processes and procedures have been reviewed by an independent auditor.
Quick sample pick up: Because degradation or expiration can occur the longer products are left sitting around, samples must be picked up quickly to ensure accurate test results.
Fast turnaround times for Certificates Of Analysis (COAs): Fast delivery of test results makes it easier for producers to maintain compliance with regulations and get products to consumers faster. COAs offer detailed information about the compound profile, terpene content, and any contaminants found in a sample.
Excellent customer service and support: Proper customer service allows producers to gain an in-depth understanding of the status of their samples and test results. Further, working with a laboratory that provides accessibility to management ensures you have access to the decision-makers who can get things done.
Cannabis analysis done right
At True Labs for Cannabis, our NJ-based analysis laboratory goes above and beyond the legal requirements for cannabis testing. We provide a wide range of cannabis testing services that demonstrate the quality and safety of various cannabis products, from flower to extracts to edibles. By working with True Labs for Cannabis, you can rest easy knowing you have access to the most reliable data possible about what’s in your cannabis products.