Pat Reynolds

Is homegrown cannabis headed our way?​

Last week our own Lara Kaminsky, Program Director at Confidence Analytics, caught some press! Lara, in her capacity as the Government Affairs Liaison for the non-profit (501-c-6) The Cannabis Alliance, testified (virtually) in front of the Washington State House Commerce & Gaming Committee. WHY? Once again the legislature is debating and considering homegrown cannabis for the adult (21+) population (see HB-1019 for further detail). Washington state is considering a 6 plant per person – or a 15 plant maximum in a shared household – allowance. And besides age, the state would regulate site view.

Cannabis use is on the rise with many adults trying cannabis for its therapeutic and medicinal benefits rather than just the recreational high. Due to medical and recreational legalization in certain states, and the subsequent openings of dispensaries and retail shops, cannabis testing has now become very important in the industry. Just like all other medical products, medical and retail cannabis must have proper information regarding potency and dosage, which is where testing comes into play.

We’ve done it again...​

We’ve lowered the price of our cannabis pesticide test!​

In Washington State now there’s no excuse not to test your cannabis flower or concentrate for pesticides.

How Can You Ensure Consistency in Testing Cannabis? Data.​

Our friends at Leafly are hard at work building and organizing testing lab data that will help consumers choose the cannabis products they want, instead of playing the guessing game that a lot of people find themselves engaged in at the dispensary. One of the reasons that Leafly partners with Confidence is because of the consistency and accuracy of the data we collect. As our customers build up their testing data with us, the data around their products becomes more robust and therefore more useful and informative to Leafly’s efforts.

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) determines and codifies the Action Limits for pesticide residues on finished cannabis products. When any single pesticide compound is detected above the limit in a cannabis product by a laboratory accredited by the WSLCB, it is considered a “fail” and the corresponding cannabis lot or batch may be subject to further scrutiny including recall and destruction of product.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?​

When you see this PTWC logo on the package of a cannabis product, it means the product was tested for the presence of pesticides by Confidence Analytics, a Certified Cannabis Testing Laboratory. This is your indication that the product has undergone rigorous laboratory analysis to provide accurate labeling and ensure the product is free of excessive pesticide residues.

The Confidence Cannabis Testing Analytical Lab is excited to announce that our extended cannabinoid analysis method is ready to launch! For all Washington State customers testing flower and concentrates, you will now start to see results on your Cannabis Certificate of Analysis (COA) for:

• d8-THC – delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol
• THCV – Tetrahydrocannabivarin
• THCVA – Tetrahydrocannabivarin Acid
• CBDV – Cannabidivarin
• CBT – Cannabicitran

What you need to know​

The WSLCB has opened up a CR101 rulemaking regarding pesticide testing. Public comment period is now. The LCB have outlined the reasons for this rulemaking, which include:

• Seek more alignment with DOH’s Compliant Products Rules (i.e. differences in lot vs. harvest sampling)
• Increase efficiencies in testing adult-use and compliant products
• Increase the availability of compliant products
• Changes in requirements in other states have prompted further review of WSLCB rules for potential adjustment
• The patient community would like to see additional product types or levels of potency that are not currently supported by the regulatory structure

We are very excited to announce that Confidence Analytics is expanding its operations beyond the borders of Washington state. Our lab is proud to be a leader in Washington for honest and consistent quality assurance services, with worldwide recognition for our outstanding science published in Nature magazine. We are excited to bring our institutional knowledge to the rest of the country and the world.

What?​

Going forward, we are changing our policy on uncured (wet) flower samples for pesticide testing: we are no longer able to accept them uncured.