California Cannabis Compliance Testing
The legalization of California’s medical and adult-use cannabis market has led to the daunting task of implementing statewide regulations for the largest cannabis market in the world. The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is the lead regulatory authority responsible for licensing and overseeing commercial businesses involved in each step of the supply chain. More information regarding testing requirements can be found here in the California Code of Regulations under Title 16, Division 42, Chapter 6. Testing Laboratories.
Testing regulations require all batches of finished products to be sampled and tested by an accredited third party laboratory to ensure safety and dosing accuracy. As of December 31, 2018, all cannabis and cannabis products are required to be in compliance with Phase 3 testing regulations.
Connect with an Anresco rep by emailing compliance@anresco.com, calling 415-822-1100, or sending an inquiry at the link below.
We’ll coordinate a time for one of our samplers to stop by. Generally, we’re able to collect samples within 1 business day.
Receive results within 3-4 business days. Once testing has been completed, we’ll automatically send results to the DCC for review. We’ll additionally send you an email with the final COA.
Phase 3 Testing Requirements
The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) has issued testing requirements for each of three product categories: inhalable cannabis, inhalable cannabis products, and other cannabis and cannabis products. Anresco Laboratories has extensive experience performing all analyses mandated by the DCC and is fully compliant with California testing regulations. Analyses required for each category can be found in the chart below.
| Flower | Concentrates (inhalable) | Non-Inhalables |
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Fact Sheets issued by the BCC (issued prior to establishment of DCC) can be found here:
> Licensed Laboratory Reporting and Testing Requirements
> Required Testing Chart
>Laboratory Testing Fact Sheet
Full text of DCC regulations can be found here:
> DCC Text of Regulations
Sampling Requirements
Prior to testing, the designated laboratory must collect a representative sample from each batch of product. Depending on the product type and batch size, a specified number of increments or “subsamples” must be taken from different areas of the batch to obtain a representative sample ready to be tested. These increment amounts can be found in the charts below.
Harvest Batch Size
(includes flower, trim, leaf material, etc.)
| Batch Size (lbs) | Increments |
| ≤ 10 | 8 |
| 10.1-20 | 16 |
| 20.1-30 | 23 |
| 30.1-40 | 29 |
| 40.1-50 | 34 |
- The representative sample must weigh a minimum of 0.35% of the total harvest batch weight.
- The harvest batch must weight less than 50 pounds.
Manufactured Products Batch Size
(includes all manufactured goods – vape cartridges, edibles, tinctures, capsules, etc.)
| Batch Size (units) | Increments (min) | Batch Size (units) | Increments (min) |
| ≤ 50 | 2 | 1,201 – 3,200 | 13 |
| 51 – 150 | 3 | 3,201 – 10,000 | 20 |
| 151 – 500 | 5 | 10,001 – 35,000 | 32 |
| 501 – 1200 | 8 | 35,001 – 150,000 | 50 |
- The product batch or pre-roll batch must contain no more than 150,000 units.
- The number of increments listed are minimum amounts. Each sample increment consists of 1 packaged unit.
In order to validate the safety and efficacy of your batches, R&D testing is recommended to be performed prior to compliance sampling & testing. Contact us today for a free quotation.