| The ''[[Cannabis]]'' plant, when chemically broken down, has some 750 or more constituents, with as many as 140 of them being identified as [[cannabinoid]]s.<ref name="RadwanIso15">{{cite journal |title=Isolation and pharmacological evaluation of minor cannabinoids from high-potency ''Cannabis sativa'' |journal=Journal of Natural Products |author=Radwan, M.M.; ElSohly, M.A.; El-Alfy, A.T. et al. |volume=78 |issue=6 |pages=1271-6 |year=2015 |doi=10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5b00065 |pmid=26000707 |pmc=PMC4880513}}</ref><ref name="SolymosiCanna17">{{cite journal |title=''Cannabis'': A Treasure Trove or Pandora's Box? |journal=Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry |author=Solymosi, K.; Köfalvi, A. |volume=17 |pages=1123–91 |year=2017 |doi=10.2174/1389557516666161004162133}}</ref><ref name="MudgeChemo18">{{cite journal |title=Chemometric Analysis of Cannabinoids: Chemotaxonomy and Domestication Syndrome |journal=Scientific Reports |author=Mudge, E.M.; Murch, S.J.; Brown, P.N. |volume=8 |at=13090 |year=2018 |doi=10.1038/s41598-018-31120-2}}</ref> However, analyzing the chemical constituents of cannabis is a difficult task due to its [[Matrix (chemical analysis)|matrix]], and the task becomes even more difficult when it's added to food and other matrix types, requiring established and consistent [[Scientific method|methods]] for testing.<ref name="DePalmaChallenges18">{{cite web |url=https://www.labmanager.com/insights/challenges-of-cannabis-contaminant-testing-1928 |title=Challenges of Cannabis Contaminant Testing |author=DePalma, A. |work=Lab Manager |publisher=LabX Media Group |date=10 September 2018 |accessdate=07 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="CummingsGurus18">{{cite |journal |title=Gurus of Pesticide Residue Analysis [The Cannabis Scientist] |journal=The Analytical Scientist |author=Cummings, J. |publisher=Texere Logo Texere Publishing Ltd |issue=0218 |year=2018 |url=https://theanalyticalscientist.com/fileadmin/tas/pdf-versions/TCS_Issue4.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref> Regulators, users, and the testing industry have over the years made calls for standardizing both the production and testing of [[Cannabis (drug)|medical]] and recreational marijuana. Without proper standardized testing, several issues are bound to arise<ref name="HazekampCanna12">{{cite journal |title=Cannabis - from cultivar to chemovar |journal=Drug Testing and Analysis |author=Hazekamp, A.; Fischedick, J.T. |volume=4 |issue=7–8 |pages=660–7 |year=2012 |doi=10.1002/dta.407 |pmid=22362625}}</ref><ref name="BushWorlds15">{{cite web |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/worldrsquos-strongest-weed-potency-testing-challenged/ |title=World’s strongest weed? Potency testing challenged |author=Bush, E. |work=The Seattle Times |publisher=The Seattle Times Company |date=18 February 2015 |accessdate=07 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="RutschQuality15">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/24/395065699/quality-testing-legal-marijuana-strong-but-not-always-clean |title=Quality-Testing Legal Marijuana: Strong But Not Always Clean |author=Rutsch, P. |work=Shots |publisher=National Public Radio |date=24 March 2015 |accessdate=07 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="KuzdzalACloser16">{{cite web |url=https://www.ssi.shimadzu.com/sites/ssi.shimadzu.com/files/Industry/Literature/Shimadzu_Whitepaper_Emerging_Cannabis_Industry.pdf |format=PDF |title=A Closer Look at Cannabis Testing |author=Kuzdzal, S.; Clifford, R.; Winkler, P.; Bankert, W. |publisher=Shimadzu Corporation |date=December 2017 |accessdate=07 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="CassidayTheHighs16">{{cite web |url=https://www.aocs.org/stay-informed/inform-magazine/featured-articles/the-highs-and-lows-of-cannabis-testing-october-2016 |title=The Highs and Lows of Cannabis Testing |author=Cassiday, L. |work=INFORM |publisher=American Oil Chemists' Society |date=October 2016 |accessdate=07 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="CANORMLHow11">{{cite web |url=https://www.canorml.org/business-resources-for-cannabis-brands/how-accurate-is-cannabis-potency-testing/ |title=How Accurate Is Cannabis Potency Testing? |publisher=California NORML |date=21 September 2011 |accessdate=07 July 2021}}</ref>:
| | Cannabis has many constituents, and, being a plant, can absorb or come in contact with a variety of contaminants. From a regulatory perspective, cannabinoids, terpenes, and contaminants are most likely to be analyzed by a cannabis testing lab. Therefore, this section will focus on those. |