It’s a really good idea, a necessary one even, but one that is easily abused in the current cannabis landscape: lab testing cannabis. Savvy consumers want to know what they’re putting into their bodies, from psychoactive components to possible contaminants, it’s become a need to know business.
It’s also a business that can make or break other businesses. Imagine for a moment that your lab just tested what’s supposed to be a high THC plant for a high-profile client. If the cannabis didn’t test above 15%, it becomes a slippery slope if the testing proprietor isn’t honest. Whether it be for the repeat business or simply to please, a lie can be devastating, especially if we’re talking contaminants.
Many people who use cannabis do it medicinally, and thus need to know that the weed is not only clean, but also often how high in CBD or a what kind of combination of CBD and THC that really works for their ailment. They trust the dispensaries that have had lab testing done and the dispensaries in turn must be trusting the labs, right?
According to NBC Bay, it is a widely known, dirty little “secret” that labs adjust results. It’s said that lab fraud is already happening in other legal states and that when California goes legal in January that the same problems will arise. Some companies in California already lab shop to get the best results – for them.
State regulations for cannabis require all labs to be up to date with equipment that doesn’t leave much room for error or adjustment by January, yet the fear that shady players will still fabricate results to favor whatever their intention may be. Without scrutiny, and not all labs can be scrutinized, lab results likely stand to be legitimate in most cases and illegitimate in others.
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Founder of XO Cannabis, Griffith, told NBC Bay that he’s had many labs offer him higher THC reports to keep his business. He’s not fond of those kinds of practices in the least, however, and is speaking out in hopes to improve the marketplace and make it one where patients can trust the information provided with their cannabis.
“This is part of the industry that you have to deal with,” said Griffith. “I would love to have accurate lab results, but until that happens, we all have to play the game.”
