The short answer
Find a lab by state license number, then check its ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation scope. A short drive does not make a result correct. A certificate of analysis (COA) from a lab without accreditation is a claim. It is not a measurement.
What Does Lab Tested Cannabis Cost: A Comprehensive Guide
Four checks before you trust a lab
- State license. Legal markets issue lab licenses. California lists testing labs with the Department of Cannabis Control. Oregon lists them with the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. A license number goes on every COA.
- Accreditation scope. A2LA and PJLA publish scopes. The scope names the method. One lab can hold accreditation for potency and not for pesticides.
- COA fields. Look for lab name, license number, sample ID, batch or lot number, collection date, test date, method, limit of quantitation, result, and pass or fail.
- Chain of custody. The lab or a licensed sampler collects the sample. A sample hand-delivered by the grower carries less weight.
What a full panel covers
- Cannabinoids: THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBN.
- Terpenes: myrcene, limonene, pinene, linalool, beta-caryophyllene.
- Pesticides: California screens 66 analytes.
- Heavy metals: lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury.
- Residual solvents: butane, hexane, ethanol, propane.
- Microbials: aspergillus, salmonella, E. coli, total yeast and mold.
- Mycotoxins: aflatoxin, ochratoxin.
- Moisture content and water activity.
Cost and turnaround
Single-panel tests run $150 to $600 per sample. Full compliance panels run $400 to $1,200. Turnaround is 3 to 10 business days for a full panel. Potency-only results come back in 24 to 48 hours. Rush fees add 25 percent to 100 percent.
Cannabis Lab Testing State Requirements: Guide
Convenience versus trust
Courier pickup, extended drop-off hours, and same-day potency attract producers. Convenience shortens the trip to the lab. It does not change the method or the instrument. Ask two questions. What is the accreditation scope? What is the sample ID?
Where to look
State regulator licensee lists name every licensed lab. A2LA and PJLA directories list accredited labs and their scopes. Some labs publish COAs on their sites. Dispensaries can hand over the COA for the batch on the shelf. If a lab cannot produce a scope document, keep looking.