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Nearly 20 Percent of California’s Cannabis Products Fail Lab Tests

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]S[/dropcap]ince July 1, when California passed new and stricter cannabis industry regulations, nearly 20 percent of cannabis products failed tests for potency and purity.

Over the past two months, California’s 31 licensed labs tested 10,695 product samples and 1,904 samples failed to pass the Bureau of Cannabis Control requirements, amounting to 18 percent of samples tested. The reasons for failures, however, weren’t due to dangerous products or contaminant levels, but rather due to inconsistencies in package labeling and the product itself. Two-thirds of all failures were due to incorrect labeling on packages.

The testing has been rough on the market for edibles, tinctures and lotions, with about one third being blocked from store shelves. Cannabis buds had the lowest failure rate at 10.6 percent.

In some cases, product that fails testing must be destroyed. But many of the products that failed due to incorrect labeling can be corrected. For example, cannabis flower that is tested to be a different potency than what’s on the label can be relabeled and sold with the right specification. However, unless the product mislabeled is cannabis flower, producers and retailers must destroy the product.

The new mandatory testing has largely been a success and doing what it is intended to do, which is find cannabis products that are unsuitable for eating or smoking.

“Mandatory statewide testing is a new thing and it’s going to take some time for everything to run smoothly, but on the whole we’re pleased with how things are progressing,” Bureau of Cannabis Control spokesman Alex Traverso said.

While the testing has been serving its purpose, it doesn’t come without a price, which companies say are straining budgets. Testing for a small cannabis farm can typically cost $5,000 to $10,000. Complaints have risen from states with similar regulations such as Colorado.

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