Colorado Cannabis Labs produces unreliable and variable THC potency results, with similar samples returning varying amounts of up to 38%, or more than the state’s legal limit.
That’s one of the “surprising” findings of a small study conducted last year by Ripple, a color manufacturer, based in Colorado, the results of which were released on Monday.
The study underscores the need for regulators to establish stricter standards for commercial cannabis labs, similar to the standards used in alcohol industry testing labs, according to Ripple.
“These results show deeper decay than most interlab consensus,” Justin Singer, CEO of RIPLE, said in an email.
“The same labs use the same methods and the same samples over time and fail to replicate the results.”
Studies show a wide variation in thc potency in the same samples, in the same labs
Like the alcohol content printed on the alcohol label, the potency of THC is not intended to be specific. Instead, it represents distance.
For example, a lager that is 5.0% alcohol by volume can be tested in fact between 4.7% and 5.3% and still meet the requirements of the label.
Similarly, cannabis samples can vary by 15% in Colorado, which means that the Edibles Product label says it contains 10 milligrams of THC, it contains 8.5 milligrams and it is well looked after.
However, ripple found a bigger difference than that.
“When potency varies by up to 38% between labs, the promise of ‘controlled like Alcohol’ rings hollow,” the study reads in part.
Cannabis edibles and concentrates have inconsistent effects
The company submitted “six cannabis samples” blinded, concentrated, and gummies to six cannabis test laboratories in six cannabis testing periods less than six weeks from Nov. 4, 2024 to December 9, 2024.
And according to the published findings of “potency variability”, the results were worse, “said CEO Justin Sinder in a statement accompanying the release.
One flower sample sent to different labs returned THC values ranging from 15.8% to 22.8%, a spread of more than one-third.
Another sample, tested in the same lab over time, returned potency values that were restored from 17.9% to 22.8%, according to the study.
Different studies have found that THC levels can vary from batch to batch, with samples varying in THC depending on where the crop is harvested.
But the ripple study found a similar imbalance with concentrates and edibles, which are said to be similar products.
Different labs have tested one concentration at values between 36.5% and 46.50%.
One lab tested concentrates from the same batch and returned THC potency results ranging from 36.5% to 47%.
Cannabis operators’ worries about lab testing continue
Rigple is one of several cannabis companies around the country that has sounded the alarm over unreliable or inconsistent lab tests in recent years.
Another review led by the company, the results of which were released in February, found that 85% of the products sold in the state could violate the requirements of the labels.
Although there are supporters across the country who are taking strong action against labs that they believe have fraudulent results.
Many critics say the problem is a vicious cycle where consumers prioritize high THC. That is, research that shows the potency of THC is not an indicator of quality.
A separate Colorado study released last summer found a drop in average prices.
