In accordance with subchapter 6 of the Cannabis Legalization Act (CLA), OCP must establish a testing program for adult use cannabis and adult use cannabis products. The CLA further states that a licensee may not sell or distribute adult use cannabis or an adult use cannabis product to a consumer unless the cannabis or cannabis product has been tested and that mandatory testing has demonstrated that the item does not contain harmful contaminants in excess of pass/fail thresholds for each contaminant.
The CLA specifies six categories of “analytes” for which all cannabis and cannabis products must pass mandatory testing prior to sale to consumers:
- Residual solvents, poisons and toxins;
- Harmful chemicals (commonly referred to as “metals”);
- Dangerous yeasts, molds and mildew (including mycotoxins);
- Harmful microbes, including, but not limited to, Escherichia coli and salmonella;
- Pesticides, fungicides and insecticides; and
- THC potency, homogeneity and cannabinoid profiles to ensure correct labeling.
All mandatory test results must be reported by the cannabis testing facility to the licensee that requested the mandatory testing, and to OCP, within two business days through the issuance of a Certificate of Analysis (COA) to the licensee and electronic data deliverables (EDDs) to the Office.
The results compiled here are derived from those EDDs and represent the results of initial mandatory testing only. These data do not contain the results of any samples submitted for non-mandatory, research and development purposes, nor the results of any samples submitted as “retests” in accordance with the rules governing the Adult Use Cannabis Program. Retesting of samples of cannabis or cannabis products can be done in limited circumstances including following remediation of an item that initially failed mandatory testing, in the event the licensee believes there was an error or to verify potency results.
Q3 2024 Adult Use Sample Report
The following tables summarize testing data for the adult use testing program for the third quarter of 2024. The tables show the rates of failures according to analyte category, matrix category, and by the adult use program overall. A “fail” in any category means that the testing results for the submitted sample contained an amount of contaminant above the failure threshold for that analyte as prescribed in 18-691 C.M.R, ch. 5, §6.
This data will be prepared and updated on a quarterly basis. (Last updated October 28, 2024.) Aggregate year end data, as well as quarterly data for the current year, is available for download in .xlsx format.
Total Sample Fails* |
Total Samples |
Fail Rate |
|---|---|---|
262 |
3,925 |
6.68% |
*This number represents the number of individual samples that failed testing for at least one analyte. Samples may have failed testing for multiple analytes, and in the table below, each of those fails is counted separately. Retest sample data are not included.
Analyte Category |
Matrix |
Total Fails |
Total Samples |
Fail Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pesticides |
Usable Cannabis |
4 |
1,731 |
0.23% |
Pesticides |
Concentrates |
1 |
351 |
0.28% |
Pesticides |
Total All Matrices |
5 |
2,082 |
0.24% |
Residual Solvents |
Concentrates |
9 |
811 |
1.11% |
Residual Solvents |
Infused Products |
0 |
0 |
0.00% |
Residual Solvents |
Total All Matrices |
9 |
811 |
1.11% |
Total Yeast & Mold |
Usable Cannabis |
202 |
1,553 |
13.01% |
Total Yeast & Mold |
Concentrates |
0 |
1,048 |
0.00% |
Total Yeast & Mold |
Infused Products |
0 |
937 |
0.00% |
Total Yeast & Mold |
Total All Matrices |
202 |
3,538 |
5.71% |
Harmful Microbes |
Usable Cannabis |
23 |
1,545 |
1.49% |
Harmful Microbes |
Concentrates |
0 |
1,048 |
0.00% |
Harmful Microbes |
Infused Products |
1 |
937 |
0.11% |
Harmful Microbes |
Total All Matrices |
24 |
3,530 |
0.68% |
Metals |
Usable Cannabis |
10 |
1,613 |
0.62% |
Metals |
Concentrates |
0 |
599 |
0.00% |
Metals |
Infused Products |
0 |
224 |
0.00% |
Metals |
Total All Matrices |
10 |
2,436 |
0.41% |
Filth & Foreign Material |
Usable Cannabis |
0 |
1,599 |
0.00% |
Filth & Foreign Material |
Concentrates |
0 |
1,066 |
0.00% |
Filth & Foreign Material |
Infused Products |
0 |
937 |
0.00% |
Filth & Foreign Material |
Total All Matrices |
0 |
3,602 |
0.00% |
Water Activity |
Usable Cannabis |
1 |
1,454 |
0.07% |
Water Activity |
Infused Products |
0 |
761 |
0.00% |
Water Activity |
Total All Matrices |
1 |
2,215 |
0.05% |
Potency |
Infused Products |
28 |
939 |
2.98% |
Homogeneity |
Concentrates |
0 |
1,058 |
0.00% |
Homogeneity |
Infused Products |
3 |
939 |
0.32% |
Homogeneity |
Total All Matrices |
3 |
1,997 |
0.15% |
Mycotoxins |
Usable Cannabis |
0 |
7 |
0.00% |
Mycotoxins |
Concentrates |
0 |
38 |
0.00% |
Mycotoxins |
Total All Matrices |
0 |
45 |
0.00% |
Information on the toxicity and health impacts of various cannabis contaminants can be found here.
For some analyte categories, specifically metals and pesticides, remediation is not permitted but licensees may submit two samples for retesting if an initial sample fails mandatory testing. For other analyte categories, such as yeast, mold, microbials, or residual solvents, remediation is permitted. Additional information regarding mandatory testing, remediation, and retesting, as well as the licensing, certification, and compliance requirements applicable to cannabis testing facilities can be found in the rules governing the Adult Use Cannabis Program.
Pursuant to the CLA and the Rules, testing data is received from all certified testing facilities in the adult use program and includes results from all batches of usable cannabis, concentrate, and infused products. Once received by OCP, the testing data are uploaded into an internal database, summarized and presented here for public information.