On Jan. 1, California shut down testing of popular products at a majority of pot labs previously certified to check the potency of cannabis flower in a drastic move intended to combat widespread labeling scams in the industry.
For years, the state’s legal industry has faced allegations that labs often artificially increase the amount of THC they’ve “found” in cannabis products in order to increase their values. To fight the problem, California’s Department of Cannabis Control has now rolled out new requirements for testing cannabis flower, the smokable form of the drug, which includes bud and noninfused pre-rolls.
As of Jan. 3, only 12 of the state’s 38 labs had met the new requirements, according to the DCC’s website. Noncompliant labs can still test other products, including edibles and vape pens. But until they prove they can meet the new standards, they’ll be blocked from testing flower — by far the most popular category of legal weed.
California law requires that all cannabis products be tested at state-certified labs for contaminants like pesticides, as well as for potency of THC, the most common intoxicant found in cannabis. On packages of cannabis flower, that THC potency is displayed as a percentage, similar to how beer or wine is labeled with alcohol percentages.
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