Book:Past, Present, and Future of Cannabis Laboratory Testing and Regulation in the United States/Laboratory testing of cannabis/Reports

3.4 Reports

There's little in the way of standardization for lab reporting of cannabis test results, though some U.S. states have outlined requirements for what must be included in such reports. The Oregon Health Authority's Oregon Administrative Rules, Chapter 333, Division 64, Section 0100: Cannabis Sampling Procedures and Testing stipulates that any report must include total THC and total CBD (by dry weight) and, if discovered, "all tentatively identified compounds (TICS) that meet the identification criteria." It also lays out requirements for pesticides, failed tests, limits of quantification, and specimen identifiers such as test batch number. California dictates reported values for cannabinoids and contaminates be shown on the COA with three significant figures and water-activity level at two significant digits, as well as "pass" and "fail" statuses, demographics, sample history, test methods used, and more.

Pennsylvania provides another example with its medical marijuana program (28 Pa. Code Chapter 1171), which includes a section on test results and reporting (1171.31). The regulations stipulate reporting by electronic tracking system, with stipulations on using certificates of analysis which include lot/batch number and the specific compounds and contaminants tested. Regulations aside, it's largely up to the laboratory—and often by extension, the software they're using—to decide how a report is formatted. Some labs like Seattle-based Analytical 360 offer clean, color-based certificates of analysis, with high-magnification photographs, the chromatogram, potency, cannabinoid content, contaminant content, and explanation of limits, with the name of the approving analyst. Others may simply generate a computer printout with the basic data and a legend. Reports may originate from the measuring device itself (e.g., an integrator in a chromatography device), a middleware or data station attached to the instrument, or a laboratory information management system (LIMS) that accepted data from the instrument.

Though not directly related to laboratory testing, it's worth noting states also have their own reporting requirements for growers, processors, and dispensaries. Both Oregon and Washington, for example, require monthly reports related to medical marijuana transfers.