By Matthew Otten, Oregon CBD Research Chemistry Lab Director
It’s that time of year when we receive messages from customers about lab results. We love to celebrate successes and are here to help troubleshoot less than successes. We are regularly dismayed by the way some labs treat our customers. This post intends to provide some information on some things to ask about when selecting a testing lab.
Is the lab accredited? In most states with established regulatory programs – Oregon has ORELAP – labs must be audited in person and demonstrate that they can accurately produce legally defensible data. The process to become accredited is lengthy and expensive, which tends to scare off the riff raff. But fully accredited labs tend to charge more.
Most accredited labs stick to testing compliance cannabinoids, THCA and Δ9-THC, and cannabinoids of interest, CBD, CBDA, CBG, and CBGA. Many are not accredited to test for other cannabinoids – they don’t even have the standards! – yet they’ll accept your sample anyway. Profit margins are thin and they need your money.
Last year we fielded phone calls from customers who submitted CBG dominant strains for testing only to receive COAs that reported 0% CBG. Why? Because the labs weren’t testing for CBG or CBGA! We’re seeing the same this year with our varin series. If the lab is not accredited by a regulatory agency do not use them. Equally as important, verify before you submit samples for testing that the lab is accredited to analyze for your cannabinoids of interest.
Ask for the data! Request that the lab provide the raw data used to generate the COA. In cases where results don’t meet expectations, this is the easiest way for us to troubleshoot issues with your product. Some labs have no business being in business and we have seen some doozies: wrong peaks assigned, improper integration, detector saturation, and incorrect %w/w calculations. And that was just last week! But sometimes the lab results are correct, revealing farming technique issues. The lab may deny your request for data or want to charge you more money for it. These are dodgy business practices. Consider a different lab.
Self-advocate. Testing laboratories exist to serve you. Do not allow yourself to be intimidated or bullied. A professional lab welcomes the opportunity to address your questions or concerns. And you are always welcome to contact us to back you up. We’re in your corner.
Reference Labs. Last year we participated in a comprehensive study of cannabinoid testing, as overseen by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Oregon CBD was the only seed producer to participate in a field of private testing labs, universities, and police labs. And though we’re an unaccredited research and development lab, we analyzed 18 cannabinoids with results well within the acceptable range of the study. We were thrilled with our performance and chilled by the poor results from some labs. (It was a blind study, so we don’t know who these players are). Not all labs are created equal. Shop around, advocate for yourself, ask all the questions, shine lights into dark corners, call us, and keep learning and growing.
Here is a partial list of participants in the NIST CannaQAP study. They may be better than most.
• ACT Laboratories, various locations, United States
• AGQ USA, Oxnard, CA, United States
• Absolute Standards Inc, Hamden, CT, United States
• Ace Analytical Laboratory, Las Vegas, NV, United States
• Agriculture and Food Analytical Lab, Taylorsville, UT, United States
• Alkemist Labs, Garden Grove, CA, United States
• Americanna Laboratories LLC., Jacksonville, FL, United States
• Analytical Resource Labs, Lehi, UT, United States
• Anresco Laboratory, San Francisco, CA, United States
• Avazyme, Inc., Durham, NC, United States
• Badger Laboratories, Stevens Point, WI, United States
• Botanacor Laboratories, Denver, CO, United States
• Bozeman Analytical Lab, Bozeman, MT, United States
• CATLAB, Eliot, ME, United States
• CBP San Francisco Laboratory
• CLIP Labs, San Diego, CA, United States
• Canaveral Laboratories LLC, MELBOURNE, FL, United States
• CannaSafe, Los Angeles, CA, United States
• Cannalysis, Santa Ana, CA, United States
• Cardinal Quality Laboratories, LC, Richmond, VA, United States
• Certus Laboratories, Grand Bay, AL, United States
• Columbia Laboratories, Portland, OR, United States
• Complete Phytochemical Solutions, LLC, Cambridge, WI, United States
• Confidence Analytics, Redmond, WA, United States
• Coy Waller Lab., University, MS, United States
• DB Labs, Las Vegas, NV, United States
• DB Science LLC, Fayetteville, AR, United States
• Demeter Laboratory, LITTLE ROCK, AR, United States
• ECC Test Lab, Ashland, VA, United States
• ElSohly Laboratories, Inc., Oxford, MS, United States
• Encore Labs, Pasadena, CA, United States
• Fidelity Diagnostics Laboratory, Missoula, MT, United States
• Firelands Scientific, Huron, OH, United States
• Food Safety Net Services, San Antonio, TX, United States
• Front Range Biosciences, Boulder, CO, United States
• G2 Analytical, Pineville, NC, United States
• GCA Labs, HERCULANEUM, MO, United States
• GenCanna, Winchester, KY, United States
• Gobi Analytical, Wheat Ridge, CO, United States
• Green Analytics PA, Harrisburg, PA, United States
• Hawley Hemp Labs, Inc, Austin, TX, United States
• High Grade Hemp Seed, Longmont, CO, United States
• IonSense, Saugus, MA, United States
• Ionization Labs, Austin, TX, United States
• KCA Laboratories, Nicholasville, KY, United States
• KJ Scientific Independent Testing Labs, Georgetown, TX, United States
• Kaycha Labs, various locations, United States
• MCI Diagnostic Center, Tulsa, OK, United States
• Medicine Creek Analytics, Fife, WA, United States
• Method Testing Labs, Tampa, FL, United States
• Mitra Sol Technologies, S.L., Elche. Alicante, Spain
• Modern Canna Labs, Lakeland, FL, United States
• NFSTC@FIU, Largo, FL, United States
• NSI Lab Solutions INC, Raleigh, NC, United States
• Nature Safe Labs, San Diego, CA, United States
• Neogen Corporation, Lansing, MI, United States
• New Bloom Labs - Texas, Dallas, TX, United States
• North Coast Testing Laboratories of Michigan, Adrian, MI, United States
• Oleolive LLC, Shreveport, LA, United States
• Origo Labs, Chicago, IL, United States
• PAX Labs, San Francisco, CA, United States
• PML Labs, Irvine, CA, United States
• PSI Labs, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
• PharmLabs Texas, Dallas, TX, United States
• Pharmlabs, San Diego, CA, United States
• ProVerde Laboratories, Inc., Milford, MA, United States
• RADE LLC, Louisville, KY, United States
• Rm3 Labs, Boulder, CO, United States
• SQRD Lab, Los Angeles, CA, United States
• Sante Laboratories, Austin, TX, United States
• Signature Science, Austin, TX, United States
• Skymint Brands Internal Quality Laboratory, Dimondale, MI, United States
• Smithers, Wareham, MA, United States
• Spectra Analytical Lab, Honolulu, HI, United States
• Spectrum CannaLabs, Davis, CA, United States
• Steelyard Analytics, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, United States
• Terramor Technologies, West Charleston, VT, United States
• Treadwell Farms, LLC, Umatilla, FL, United States
• Trichome Analytical, Mount Laurel, NJ, United States
• Veda Scientific, Lompoc, CA, United States
