Two cannabis testing laboratories on Tuesday debuted a new program to standardize protocols for testing the purity and potency of marijuana products. The new standardization program, dubbed Trust in Testing, was launched on Tuesday by SC Labs and ACT Laboratories.
States that have legalized commercial cannabis production and sales mandate that products be tested for contaminants and levels of THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana. But industry standards for such lab analysis have not been developed, a situation which has led some labs to inflate THC levels to appease clients eager to offer the most potent products. In 2019, online cannabis information resource Leafly reported that inconsistency among results from different labs has prompted “lab shopping” as producers search for the highest potency levels for their goods. The cannabis industry has also seen scandals as marijuana products were cleared for sale by labs despite the presence of potentially dangerous contaminants such as mold, leading to recalls that erode customer confidence in the regulated cannabis industry.
Regulated cannabis products are tested for potency and purity.
“Today, the burden of identifying high-quality compliant labs falls on the operators and brands within each state,” Jeff Journey, CEO of SC Labs, a company with licensed operations in California, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan, said in a statement. “This leads to decentralized decision-making and considerable risk.”
“Through the Trust In Testing Certification, brands now have a way of identifying labs that are meeting the highest threshold standards across states,” he continued. “It also allows brands to unify their own protocols in choosing a testing partner. SC Labs is proud to be partnering with ACT Laboratories at the forefront of the movement to create safer cannabis through a more reliable cannabis testing landscape in the U.S. The Trust In Testing program is a transparent and collaborative process that will give consumers the confidence that they are purchasing high-quality products.”
Cannabis Labs Collaborate On Industry Standards
Through over two decades of combined experience in cannabis analysis, ACT and SC have evaluated laboratory regulatory standards across all states that have legalized cannabis to develop sensible and stringent quality standards, which were launched this week as the Trust In Testing Certification. The standards include more frequent and regular proficiency testing, use of state-of-the-art quality management systems, and internal employee ethics and training programs, among other requirements.
These standards are designed to ensure that labs are compliant with state regulations while providing clients and consumers with accurate and reliable results. Brands that utilize a Trust in Testing certified lab are allowed to put the Trust In Testing seal on their packaging, communicating to consumers their commitment to quality.
“ACT Laboratories believes that consumers have the right to know what is in their cannabis products. This is an emerging problem: The risk of testing result inaccuracy is greater than ever for cannabis brands hoping to deliver safe and reliable products to their customers as allegations of testing fraud are rampant across the country,” said Michael Drozd, CEO of ACT Laboratories. “Poor quality testing data can adversely impact brand reputation, resulting in loss of business, hefty fines, legal action or, in some cases, licenses being revoked. And worst of all, it erodes customer confidence, has a negative financial impact, and presents a potential consumer safety risk.”
The Trust in Testing lab certification standards were developed to increase confidence in the ... [+]
With the launch of the new Trust in Testing standards, SC Labs and ACT Laboratories, which currently operates in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and New York, are inviting cannabis brands and other testing labs to come together to provide accurate and reliable results, a development that should foster increased trust in the industry among consumers. Eventually, Drozd and Journey say, the standards could be incorporated into state cannabis regulations, further fostering standardization and trust in the regulated cannabis industry.
“By requiring adherence to tighter controls on potency and contaminant testing, certified brands have voluntarily put their products under a greater level of scrutiny, all to provide a higher standard of transparency and safety to the consumer,” the executives write in an email. “We welcome the opportunity to work with regulators to engage in dialogue about how to improve the safety of cannabis.”
