How to Read a Marijuana Certificate of Analysis

• A marijuana certificate of analysis (CoA) is your ticket to safe, trustworthy, and effective symptom management.
• It offers specific information about the product’s batch, including full cannabinoid and terpene profiles. It also shows you if the product passed important contaminant tests for harmful substances like heavy metals and pesticides.
• A marijuana CoA provides a solid foundation for understanding a product’s effects. For example, a high percentage of the cannabinoid CBN or the terpene myrcene indicates a potent sleep aid.

Perusing the many shelves and cases of marijuana products at your local dispensaries, you may feel drawn by bright packages and unique strain names. But if healing is your main marijuana goal, safety outweighs novelty.

How do you find products you can truly trust? Start by reading the marijuana certificate of analysis (CoA).

A marijuana CoA offers vital insights into a product’s chemical makeup and the manufacturer’s safety procedures. You’ll find test results for any toxins or contaminants as well as comprehensive cannabinoid and terpene profiles.

Learn how to interpret the long streams of data on a marijuana CoA and why it matters for your healing journey right here—TeleLeaf has all you need to know and more.

What Is a Marijuana Certificate of Analysis?

A certificate of analysis (CoA) is a document that details lab testing results for manufactured products including food, pharmaceuticals, and, yes, even marijuana.

Marijuana CoAs provide you and other consumers with essential product authenticity and safety information:

• Identity – First, a CoA will verify the product’s name so you know exactly what you’re looking at.
• Origin – The CoA will also list the product’s batch ID, allowing you to trace its journey through production and distribution.
• Contents – It also provides the product’s complete chemical makeup including percentages by weight and milligram (mg) measurements. For marijuana, CoA content profiles detail present cannabinoids, their acidic precursors, and terpenes.
• Safety – Most importantly, the CoA will confirm the absence of harmful contaminants such as heavy metals, microbes, and pesticides.

The Importance of Marijuana Certificates of Analysis

Labs that test traditional pharmaceuticals adhere to quality control standards laid out by governing bodies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By contrast, the FDA doesn’t regulate most marijuana products.

Currently, the FDA has approved only a few cannabis-derived and cannabis-related medications, including Epidiolex (a CBD drug that treats certain seizure disorders) as well as three synthetic THC drugs. Any marijuana product you pick up in a dispensaries or see online is not considered a drug and isn’t subjected to FDA standards. That’s why marijuana CoAs matter so much for your safety.

Many medical markets require manufacturers to conduct product testing and release marijuana CoAs. When you see products listed as “medical grade,” it’s because they’ve passed a level of standard set by the market and confirmed via its CoA.

This is within every party’s best interests: Marijuana CoAs provide you with full transparency and help build trust between you and marijuana manufacturers. It’s your responsibility as a medical marijuana patient to read and understand them.

How to Find a Marijuana Product’s Certificate of Analysis

To read a marijuana product’s CoA, you first need to locate it.

You can usually find a product’s CoA in any of these places:

• On the label – Over time, more and more marijuana manufacturers want their products’ CoAs to be available and accessible to you. Odds are, you can find the full or condensed CoA right on the label.
• Online – Instead of squishing an entire CoA onto a product’s label, the manufacturer may instead include a web address or QR code that takes you straight to it.
• With your budtender – CoAs build trust between dispensaries and suppliers just as much as they build trust with you. Your dispensaries will likely have the CoAs for all the marijuana products they stock. Ask your budtender or dispensaries pharmacist to see the CoA for the products you’re eyeing.

If you can’t find the CoA anywhere, choose another product. Since the FDA doesn’t regulate marijuana products, you should be hesitant to trust manufacturers who aren’t transparent about their production and safety practices.

Understanding a Marijuana Certificate of Analysis

As a medical marijuana patient, the two sections of a CoA you should learn to read include the:

1. Contaminant concentration test results
2. Cannabinoid/terpene profiles

With these pieces of information, you can determine how safe a product is and how effectively it will treat your specific condition.

Let’s take a look at both:

The Contaminant Tests

Labs creating marijuana CoAs will test each product to learn if it contains common contaminants that could harm consumers.

They often test for:

• Heavy metals – These can find their way into cannabis plants’ soil and pass on to the plants and products themselves. Common toxic heavy metals you’ll see tested on a marijuana CoA include arsenic, mercury, lead, chromium, and cadmium.
• Pesticides – Pesticides keep bugs and other pests from harming cannabis plants, but they can also harm you. Labs check that cannabis products contain negligible (and, thus, harmless) amounts of these chemicals.
• Microbes – These tiny organisms can be found pretty much anywhere—including cannabis plants. While some microbes are benign, many are disease-causing pathogens. Labs test marijuana products for microbes such as bacteria, yeast, mold, E. coli, salmonella, and more.

On a marijuana CoA, you’ll see the individual contaminant limits for use and consumption (set by a governing body or manufacturer) next to the level found in the product. A trustworthy product will have contaminant levels well below the legal limit, or, better yet, undetected amounts. You may also see a “Pass/Fail” column confirming that the product aligns with the contaminant regulations.

Cannabinoid and Terpene Contents: Marijuana’s “List of Ingredients”

A marijuana product’s CoA will give you a comprehensive profile of the various cannabis compounds present.

The two most important compound categories include:

1. Cannabinoids – The main therapeutic components found in the cannabis plant.
2. Terpenes – The components that give cannabis strains their unique aromas and flavors.

The CoA shows the percentage and/or milligram (mg) measurements of each compound. However, it won’t explain to you how each compound impacts the product’s effects. For that, let’s look at each in turn:

Common Cannabinoids

Cannabis contains over a hundred distinct cannabinoids. Not every strain features each one, however. Most CoAs list the amounts of the most common and well-known cannabinoids. The higher the concentration, the more pronounced their effects will be.

Here are some of their names, abbreviations, and reported health benefits:

• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – Most people know THC for its psychoactive effects that produce the euphoric high associated with marijuana. While many users seek this sensation, medical marijuana patients also appreciate how THC relieves pain, nausea, and anxiety.
• Cannabidiol (CBD) – CBD is another popular and well-known cannabinoid used to treat many of the same symptoms THC does. The main difference? CBD has no psychoactive properties, meaning taking it alone can’t get you high. In addition to pain relief, CBD can reduce inflammation, promote sleep, and soothe a racing mind.
• Cannabigerol (CBG) – Patients seek products high in CBG to treat a few common conditions: depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. CBG is most concentrated in young cannabis plants, making it rarer than other cannabinoids. You can find it in isolated CBG oils and broad- or full-spectrum CBD products.
• Cannabinol (CBN) – CBN builds up in the cannabis plant as THC breaks down with age. While still a lesser-known cannabinoid, CBN is quickly growing in popularity for its sleep-enhancing effects. You can often find broad- and full-spectrum CBD products specifically designed for better sleep containing high CBN concentrations.

CoAs will often also list any present acidic precursors of cannabinoids. Acidic precursors transform into other cannabinoids through the heating or carboxylating process. If you know the acidic precursor content along with the cannabinoid content, you can judge how the product will affect you more accurately.

The naming convention for acidic precursors is simple: it’s the cannabinoid abbreviation followed by the letter “A.” For example, the acidic precursor of THC is called THCA.

Top Terpenes

Cannabis also boasts a massive range of terpenes—anywhere from 200 up to 400 unique compounds.

Terpenes don’t interact with your body the same way cannabinoids do. However, many believe that terpenes enhance cannabinoids’ benefits through a process known as the entourage effect. While still a theory, users often find more relief and satisfaction using full-spectrum products packed with cannabinoids and terpenes as opposed to cannabinoid isolates.

Some of the most prevalent cannabis terpenes include:

• Myrcene – Known for its relaxing, sedative-like effects
• Limonene – Which offers stress-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects
• Linalool – Which can help enhance sleep quality
• Caryophyllene – Known as an anti-inflammatory that can boost the immune system and promote relaxation
• Alpha-bisabolol – Used for its relaxing, stress-reliving effects

In addition, these terpenes all have soothing anti-inflammatory properties benefiting people living with arthritis, Crohn’s disease, seizures, asthma, and more.

TeleLeaf: Demystifying Medical Marijuana, One Recommendation at a Time

Learning how to read a marijuana certificate of analysis will make you a confident consumer and a more informed patient. As a medical marijuana cardholder, you need to be both to navigate the path to holistic healing.

That’s why TeleLeaf offers continuous, expert support for your entire healing journey—whether you’re a cannabis expert or a newcomer to marijuana knowledge.

After you obtain your medical recommendation, you’ll have access to our care team who can answer all your cannabis questions. And if you live in Louisiana, we’ll connect you with local medical marijuana pharmacists who can recommend products, create your dosage schedule, and read a CoA with expertise and confidence.

Connect with your virtual support team today by messaging us or giving us a call at (504) 264-3123.

Sources:

Bud’s Goods. How to Read a Cannabis Lab Test (COA).
https://budsgoods.com/how-to-read-cannabis-lab-test-coa/

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD).
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-regulation-cannabis-and-cannabis-derived-products-including-cannabidiol-cbd

RISE. What Are Cannabinoids and What Do They Do?
https://risecannabis.com/cannabis-101/what-are-cannabinoids

Verywell Mind. What Is Cannabigerol (CBG)?
https://www.verywellmind.com/cannabigerol-cbg-uses-and-benefits-5085266

CannaCon. 15 Terpenes in Cannabis Explained [Updated 2023].
https://cannacon.org/

RISE. Terpenes 101: What is Limonene?
https://risecannabis.com/cannabis-101/limonene-terpene

MAMedica. Linalool: Unlocking the benefits of this medical cannabis terpene.
https://mamedica.co.uk/linalool-three-unexpected-ways-this-terpene-can-benefit-you/

RISE. What is Myrcene Terpene? Effects & Benefits.
https://risecannabis.com/cannabis-101/myrcene-terpene

MAMedica. The cannabis terpenes series: Everything you need to know about caryophyllene.
https://mamedica.co.uk/caryophyllene-the-benefits-of-medical-cannabis-terpenes/#:~:text=In%20particular%2C%20this%20compound%20binds,with%20anxiety%20and%20chronic%20pain.

RISE. Bisabolol: The Chamomile Terpene.
https://risecannabis.com/