What is going on with California’s cannabis? The number one reason for failure wasn’t pesticides, mold, residual solvents, chemicals or foreign materials but rather a full two-thirds of all failed tests were due to inaccurate packaging – claims on the outside don’t match up with what’s on the inside, according to the Associated Press.
Products like edibles, tinctures and lotions had the highest rate of failure: 33 percent. Cannabis buds had the lowest failure rate at 10.6 percent, while oils and waxes or concentrates for vaping and dabbing split the difference at 20.4 percent.
It is important to note that while a third of the tested products didn’t meet health and safety standards, the others failed because of incorrect information on their packaging, not because of anything dangerous about the products themselves.
As a result of the high rate of failure, California’s cannabis industry may roll back some of the strict requirements of the new packaging and labeling rules.
When a lab certified by the Bureau of Cannabis Control fails a product for inaccurate labeling, they are generally refering to the difference in product’s CBD and THC content as listed on the package.
Although inaccurate labeling can also mean information about origin, unproven health benefits or cultivation data.
To the state, the strict testing program is largely doing what it was designed to do: identify marijuana buds, concentrates, munchies and other products that are in some way tainted and unsuitable for eating or smoking.
“Mandatory statewide testing is a new thing and it’s going to take some time for everything to run smoothly, but on the whole we’re pleased with how things are progressing,” Bureau of Cannabis Control spokesman Alex Traverso told AP.
