Shopping for cannabis testing labs

Laboratories licensed to test cannabis in markets regulated by US states claim that they’re losing customers to competitors willing to provide favorable results. The “lab shopping” problem began with labs inflating levels of THCa, the acid form of the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in cannabis flower. But labs say they have evidence suggesting that some competitors are also overlooking mold and pesticides, thus allowing contaminated products to reach consumers. Regulators in some states are addressing fraudulent test results better than those in others. A handful of states are opening reference labs to help with investigations, but most facilities are slow to get up and running. Labs that play by the rules are tired of waiting for regulators to address what they say is a public health issue. To a passerby on the sidewalk, the retail cannabis business seems to be coming into its own. In US states with a state-regulated