Cannabis legalization means consumers are more informed than ever—at least, theoretically.
California has seen its fair share of recalls—some from inconsistent lab results, but others from flagrant lab result falsification.
“Consumers just assume that if it’s on the shelf, it passed the test,” says Spivak-Birndorf.
It’s a vicious cycle: When a few bad actors seek out inflated THC levels, the baseline that other producers need to hit to get their products on the shelves grows.
“We built our reputation over the years as being a reliable and accountable lab producing accurate and honest results,” says PSI Labs co-founder Ben Rosman.
While it’s true that bad actors exist, many cannabis producers just want to make top-quality products backed up by accurate lab testing results.
“We already retest everything ourselves twice to make sure that high potency numbers are legit,” says Rosman.
Fortunately, states are starting to recognize the need for standardized testing.
While other states fine-tune their policies and the push for federal legalization continues, it’s important that consumers and budtenders know that the numbers don’t currently tell the whole story.
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