After an industry rocking LA Times investigation exposed brands that had products who tested positive for pesticides, we noticed an interesting lawsuit that popped up. Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs and Anresco Laboratories have filed a lawsuit against 13 Labs who they claim are knowingly violating regulations. Below are the labs listed in the lawsuit:
· 2 River Labs
· VRX Labs
· Bel Costa Labs
· Caligreen Laboratory
· California Cannabis Testing Labs
· Certified Ag Labs
· Decano Analytical Laboratories
· Encore Labs
· Excelbis Labs
· Green Leaf Lab
· Harrens Lab
· Landau Labs
· Verity Analytics
There are now 29 licensed testing laboratories that comply with the Department of Cannabis Control’s (DCC) standard cannabinoid testing methods, an increase from 18 at the start of the year. These 29 labs are the top choice for brands needing cannabinoid testing for the Certificate of Analysis (COA) required by the state for sales. However, 13 of these top 29 labs are implicated in a lawsuit for purposely violating regulations. This means nearly half of the labs cannabis brands rely on could be acting unethically— That’s crazy!
Many of the labs that wound up on the list have already received citations and suspensions from the DCC with thousands in fines. This new lawsuit is just going to add to the list of problems they’re facing.
Infinite Chemical Analysis and Anresco Laboratories purchased 150 randomly chosen samples and 87% of them had test results that were at least 10% lower than what was stated on their label with some of them being more than 25%. From these samples purchased, several tested positive for pesticides. Putting dirty products out on the market is inexcusable and way more egregious than inflating THC scores.
If a brand’s product passes safety checks, they can sell their products at a higher price due to inflated THC results. A national survey in 2020 showed that cannabis testing over 28% THC sold for $12.89 per gram, compared to $11.06 per gram for products in the 21-28% THC range and $7.37 per gram for those in the 14-21% THC range.
Many labs know that they can gain business by offering higher THC numbers. There are brands who shop around looking for labs that will provide the results they want. The brands pressure the labs to provide higher THC percentages because that’s what their retailers want. The retailers are being pressed by their customers to provide products with higher THC, because most consumers think more THC = more better. In a lot of cases it’s the brands themselves that are pushing product advertised as having more THC than their competitors. So ultimately the consumers are being misled through the brands own marketing into thinking higher potency makes a higher quality product and that influences the actions of everyone in this viscous cycle.
We’ve dealt with retailers pressuring us to provide flower with THC results 30% and higher, but realistically sometimes cultivars will test below that. We’ve always stood by the quality of our product and THC potency has never been a focus of ours. We’re after cultivars with high terpene content that test clean and are the best representations of their genetics. Our Live Cured Flower sells because it is best in class cannabis not because we’re boasting high test results.
We’ve worked with a lot of labs since 2018 and honestly some of them are shady. We’ve always distanced ourselves from labs who gave us a bad vibe just so we wouldn’t be associated with them. We’ve had a lab be so brazen that they outright offered passing results that had higher testing THC numbers if we paid more. It would be crazy to work with labs that mess with your results when you’re an honest operator.
I’m glad these products are being flagged for dangerous chemicals, so the consumers are aware. I’m also glad that these labs are being put on blast for doing what we all knew they were doing for so long.
Stay safe and stay stoned!
