🔬 Testing & Lab Requirements by State
Compare testing & lab requirements for cannabis businesses across all 50 US states and DC. Click any state for full details.
| State | Status | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory testing for potency, pesticides, heavy metals, microbials, mycotoxins, and residual solvents at AMCC-licensed labs. |
| Alaska | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Required potency, residual solvent, pesticide, microbial, and heavy metal testing at state-licensed laboratories before retail sale. |
| Arizona | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, microbial, mycotoxin, heavy metal, pesticide, and residual solvent testing at independent licensed labs. |
| Arkansas | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, and mycotoxin testing at ABC-approved independent laboratories. |
| California | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide (66 analytes), heavy metals, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at licensed labs. |
| Colorado | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Required potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing. Mandatory R&D category testing for concentrates. |
| Connecticut | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, moisture, and residual solvent testing at DCP-licensed laboratories. |
| Delaware | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Medical products require potency and contaminant testing. Adult-use testing rules under development by the Marijuana Commissioner. |
| District of Columbia | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, and residual solvent testing for medical products at licensed testing facilities. |
| Florida | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at MMTC or independent certified labs. |
| Georgia | Low THC / CBD Only | Low-THC oil must be tested for potency (≤5% THC), pesticides, heavy metals, and microbials at approved laboratories. |
| Hawaii | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at DOH-certified laboratories. |
| Idaho | No Program for Legal THC | No cannabis testing program. Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance with no medical or adult-use exceptions. |
| Illinois | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at IDFPR-licensed laboratories. |
| Indiana | Low THC / CBD Only | No cannabis testing program. Hemp-derived CBD products must comply with federal ≤0.3% THC limits. |
| Iowa | Low THC / CBD Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, and solvent testing for medical cannabidiol products at licensed facilities. |
| Kansas | No Program for Legal THC | No cannabis testing program. No regulated medical or adult-use cannabis market exists in Kansas. |
| Kentucky | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at licensed safety compliance facilities. |
| Louisiana | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, and solvent testing. LDAF oversees agricultural testing standards. |
| Maine | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at OCP-licensed testing facilities. |
| Maryland | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, moisture, and residual solvent testing at independent licensed labs. |
| Massachusetts | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, moisture, terpene, and residual solvent testing at licensed labs. |
| Michigan | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, moisture, water activity, and residual solvent testing at licensed labs. |
| Minnesota | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at OCM-licensed independent laboratories. |
| Mississippi | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at MDOH-licensed testing facilities. |
| Missouri | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at DHSS-licensed independent laboratories. |
| Montana | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at DPHHS-licensed laboratories. |
| Nebraska | Legal for Medical Use Only | No active cannabis testing program. Medical cannabis testing regulations are being developed following 2024 ballot initiative. |
| Nevada | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, residual solvent, and water activity testing at licensed labs. |
| New Hampshire | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, and solvent testing. ATCs may use in-house or third-party certified labs. |
| New Jersey | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at CRC-licensed testing laboratories. |
| New Mexico | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, moisture, and residual solvent testing at CCD-licensed laboratories. |
| New York | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, residual solvent, and water activity testing at OCM-licensed labs. |
| North Carolina | Low THC / CBD Only | No cannabis testing program. Hemp products must meet federal ≤0.3% THC limits under the state hemp program. |
| North Dakota | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, and residual solvent testing at NDDOH-approved independent laboratories. |
| Ohio | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, moisture, and residual solvent testing at DCC-licensed laboratories. |
| Oklahoma | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, residual solvent, and moisture testing at OMMA-licensed laboratories. |
| Oregon | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, residual solvent, and water activity testing at ORELAP-accredited labs. |
| Pennsylvania | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, moisture, and residual solvent testing at DOH-approved laboratories. |
| Rhode Island | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at CCA-licensed independent laboratories. |
| South Carolina | Low THC / CBD Only | No cannabis testing program. No regulated medical or adult-use cannabis market exists in South Carolina. |
| South Dakota | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, and residual solvent testing at DOH-certified independent testing facilities. |
| Tennessee | Low THC / CBD Only | No cannabis testing program. Hemp products must comply with USDA and state agriculture department ≤0.3% THC limits. |
| Texas | Low THC / CBD Only | Low-THC cannabis must be tested for potency (≤1% THC), pesticides, and contaminants at DSHS-approved laboratories. |
| Utah | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at UDAF-licensed independent laboratories. |
| Vermont | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, moisture, and residual solvent testing at CCB-licensed laboratories. |
| Virginia | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at CCA-licensed testing laboratories. |
| Washington | Legal for Adult Recreational Use | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, residual solvent, and moisture testing at LCB-certified laboratories. |
| West Virginia | Legal for Medical Use Only | Mandatory potency, pesticide, heavy metal, microbial, mycotoxin, and residual solvent testing at DHHR-permitted independent laboratories. |
| Wisconsin | Low THC / CBD Only | No cannabis testing program. No regulated medical or adult-use cannabis market exists in Wisconsin. |
| Wyoming | No Program for Legal THC | No cannabis testing program. No regulated medical or adult-use cannabis market exists in Wyoming. |
Cannabis Testing Requirements Explained
Mandatory testing ensures that cannabis products reaching consumers are safe and accurately labeled. Every state with a legal program requires testing by licensed, independent laboratories — though what they test for varies. At minimum, most states require potency testing (THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids) and contaminant screening for pesticides, heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury), and microbial organisms like E. coli and Salmonella.
Some states go further. California tests for 66 pesticide analytes, mycotoxins, residual solvents, and foreign materials. Colorado requires moisture content and water activity testing. Products that fail any test category must be remediated or destroyed — they cannot be sold. For businesses, understanding testing requirements is critical because failed tests mean lost inventory and delayed product launches. The table above compares testing requirements across all states.
Frequently Asked Questions
What contaminants are cannabis products tested for?
Most states require testing for pesticide residues, heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury), microbial contaminants (E. coli, Salmonella), and for manufactured products, residual solvents. Many states also test for mycotoxins, moisture content, and foreign material.
Who performs cannabis testing?
Testing must be performed by independent, state-licensed testing laboratories. These labs must be accredited (often to ISO 17025 standards) and cannot have financial ties to the cannabis businesses whose products they test. Results are typically reported through the state tracking system.
What happens if a cannabis product fails testing?
Failed products cannot be sold to consumers. Depending on the state and the type of failure, products may be eligible for remediation (re-processing to remove contaminants) and retesting. If remediation is not possible or the retest fails, the product must be destroyed.