{"id":1112,"date":"2021-11-15T03:54:06","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T08:54:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intranet.chemservice.com\/news\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2023-06-26T03:13:23","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T07:13:23","slug":"colorado-state-cannabis-testing-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intranet.chemservice.com\/news\/colorado-state-cannabis-testing-regulations\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on Colorado State Cannabis Testing Regulations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colorado is the first state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana. In 2013, it became the first state to allow anyone over 21 to buy marijuana for recreational and above 18 for medicinal purposes.<\/p>\n

With the legalization of marijuana, naturally, the government instilled rules, regulations, and laws for public health safety. In July 2021, Colorado made testing for molds, pesticides, and microbials for medical and recreational marijuana a requirement to ensure safer products. Though this does help regulate the industry, this does not restrict contaminants produced after the marijuana leaves the growing facility and has delayed 106 new pesticides for testing.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the city of Denver conducted a survey of marijuana inventories at 25 random dispensaries. Though the product passed post-harvest microbial testing at the state level, 80% of the stores in the survey carried marijuana that tested positive for mold. Further testing<\/a> and safety precautions are the future and will be enforced by the Medical Enforcement Division of Colorado to ensure the public is provided with high-quality, safe products.<\/p>\n

Medical Marijuana and Colorado\u2019s Cannabis Licensing Laws<\/h2>\n

As one of the most established legal cannabis markets globally, Colorado is designing new regulations to expand the industry even further. With regulatory updates precedently occurring year-over-year, labs must be aware of what to test<\/a> for.<\/p>\n

Every retail location that sells recreational marijuana must also be licensed as a medical dispensary, but not all medical marijuana retailers sell recreational products. For labs to approve cannabis samples, they must fall within the correct range for microbials, solvents, heavy metals, and potency.<\/p>\n

Retail Marijuana and Colorado\u2019s Cannabis Licensing Laws.<\/h2>\n

Labs must participate in Proficiency Testing to maintain or obtain certification from the state to provide proper third-party cannabis testing required for retailers. Like medical marijuana, recreational marijuana must also be tested<\/a> under the same standards and have the Marijuana Enforcement Division licenses.<\/p>\n

Colorado\u2019s Required Marijuana Microbial Testing<\/h2>\n

Colorado\u2019s new regulations require testing<\/a> for microbials in both medical and retail marijuana such as E. coli (<1 CFU), salmonella (<1 CFU), and total yeast (<104 CFU) and mold (<104 CFU). Suppose a sample fails inspection with more Colony Forming Units (CFU) than permissible. In that case, the remaining sample cannot be retested, and a new dried and cured sample must be submitted within 30 days for reinspection.<\/p>\n

Colorado\u2019s Marijuana Solvents Test Requirements<\/h2>\n

If the marijuana product incorporates a solvent-based concentrate, residual solvents require testing<\/a> in Parts Per Million (PPM). This test confirms if minimal or no butane (<800 PPM), heptane (<500 PPM), benzene (<1 PPM), toluene (<1 PPM), hexane (<10 PPM), total xylenes (<1 PPM), and any solvent not permitted for use according to Rule R 605 is found within the provided marijuana samples.<\/p>\n

Testing For Heavy Metals<\/h2>\n

Marijuana products such as flower, water-based, food-based, solvent-based, and infused products, can sometimes hold heavy metals. For this reason, Colorado requires testing<\/a> for heavy metals, including arsenic (<10 PPM), cadmium (<4.1 PPM), lead (<10 PPM), and mercury (<2 PPM). If the samples have more than the allowed amount of microbials, solvents, or metals, the lab must inform both the business and the MED Marijuana Inventory Tracking System, created by the Marijuana Enforcement Division under the Colorado Department of Revenue.<\/p>\n

Testing for Marijuana Potency<\/h2>\n

All retail marijuana in Colorado must test<\/a> the potency levels of THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA, and CBDN by a Medical Marijuana Testing Facility. If the THC levels are found to be not homogenous, or 10% of the infused portion contains more than 20% of the total THC contained in the entire product, then the marijuana does not pass inspection. The THC tested also cannot vary by more than plus or minus 15%.<\/p>\n

Hemp Testing Requirements<\/h2>\n

Colorado also requires hemp products to be tested<\/a> for 106 pesticides, but the implementation for this list has been delayed until further notice. Testing for microbials, mycotoxins, heavy metals, and residual solvents used in the extraction process has already begun. Finished-product manufacturers and white label providers also need to test for THC potency, which is capped at 03% THC to be legally defined as hemp according to the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. Hemp currently has more stringent pesticide testing requirements than cannabis.<\/p>\n

How can Chem Service Products such as Colorado Testing Kits help in your Testing of Cannabis Products?<\/h2>\n

The marijuana industry has room for deeper safety precautions to protect the public from harmless residuals. To ensure your products are free from molds, pesticides, and microbials, trust Chem Service to provide the highest testing<\/a> purity for an accurate and reliable marijuana analysis. Check out Chem Service\u2019s Cannabis testing mixtures on www.chemservice.com<\/a> or call our expert staff about testing standards for Cannabis testing today.<\/p>\n

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