What better way to track your quality and ensure no false claims on products than in-house testing? In-house testing is becoming an absolute need! It’s old news that testing labs in California are rigging results and producing bogus inflated THC numbers. Have you heard about the latest trend, Lab Shopping?
What is Lab Shopping?
CannaSafe Labs recently announced its closure. “When people are able to test compliance samples at multiple labs and pick the most favorable result for sale, then it makes it very difficult for labs with integrity to get on the playing field” said Ini Afia, the lab’s chief science officer.
Is the Department of Cannabis Control finally taking control?
After literal years of this happening, the Department of Cannabis Control in California announced plans to standardize lab testing methods. Who knows how long it will take to implement such plans? And if it will even be passed? I guess it all depends on whose hand is in the cookie jar?
“One of the challenges we face in regulating an industry that is not federally recognized is the lack of standardized and validated methods for testing. Individual, licensed laboratories use different methods which may produce inconsistent results and inaccurate data on cannabis cannabinoid content. The DCC is working to change that so there is greater integrity in the market, accurate information for consumers, and confidence among stakeholders.” said DCC Director Nicole Elliott. The proposed regulations are supposed to be able to help the DCC staff educate licenses and effectively regulate the state’s licensed testing labs.
You can see the full details of the proposed testing method here. The Proposal to adopt this testing method was filed on November 10th, 2022, and is currently under review.
The need for in-house testing?
If this lab shopping happened in California, what would stop it from happening in other parts of the world? Integrous, growers, and customers need to take matters into their own hands and put a stop to this before it gets momentum all over the world.
If we want the Cannabis industry to be taken seriously across the board. We must do away with all loopholes that give the anti-cannabis world a pathway to demonizing the incredible plant and integrous businesses that exist because of it.