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The Cannabis plant, when chemically broken down, has some 750 or more constituents, with as many as 140 of them being identified as cannabinoids. However, analyzing the chemical constituents of cannabis is a difficult task due to its matrix, and the task becomes even more difficult when it's added to food and other matrix types, requiring established and consistent methods for testing. Regulators, users, and the testing industry have over the years made calls for standardizing both the production and testing of medical and recreational marijuana. Without proper standardized testing, several issues are bound to arise:

• label claims may not match actual contents;
• contaminants may linger, causing illness or even death;
• chemical properties and medicinal benefits of specific strains and their unique cannabinoid-terpene profiles can't be isolated; and
• research on potential therapeutic qualities can't be replicated, hindering scientific progress.

As legalization efforts continue at the federal level in the U.S., it's more important than ever that the standards and practices that make up laboratory testing of cannabis continue to solidify under a more consensus-based approach.

But what do we know so far about the Cannabis plant and its constituents? What are the current standards and practices used in various U.S. states (and other parts of the world)? What does the workflow of laboratory testing of cannabis look like today? And what are the requirements for certifying and reporting results? This chapter addresses these questions.