Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Tags: Cannabis Testing, Cannabis Laboratory, Cannabis Potency, Compliance Testing, Potency Testing, Cannabis Testing Lab
Dr. Jeff Rawson, Founder & President of the Institute of Cannabis Science, presents "Cannabinoid Certified Reference Materials: A Comparison Across Five Cannabis Testing Labs & Vendors" at CannMed 2025.
The contents of cannabinoid compounds in cannabis flower and cannabis-derived products is the basis of their value, but many people distrust claims of cannabis potency. The standardization of these contents requires their accurate analytical measurement, a process that uses references such as Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) to establish concentrations of cannabinoids. We report the largest collaborative study to investigate the variability between CRMs from multiple vendors and between cannabis testing labs in multiple US states and Canada, contextualized within the results of shelf testing and data from cannabis testing labs. Our presentation compares the sources of variance in the testing of cannabis for cannabinoids, which has been shown to differ from their labeled content by up to 50%, with the discrepancies in CRM concentrations.
32 cannabinoid CRM products from five companies were analyzed at five independent ISO 17025 accredited testing labs. We arbitrarily selected particular lots of CRMs to use as calibration standards, and labs prepared diluted solutions of each CRM to analyze. Errors from the expected concentrations of these prepared solutions derive from the variations between CRMs, convoluted with error from preparation and analysis of solutions.
The five labs returned 127 deduced concentrations with tight precision, with an average standard deviation of 2.8% of the determined value. The concentrations we deduced for the majority of the solutions agreed closely with their certificates, with the root of mean of squared errors equal to 2.73% of the certified values. We discovered that consistency can be achieved between CRM products, and between measurements performed in multiple labs that use different operating procedures. We also found several larger discrepancies in the concentrations of important cannabinoids, including THCA, that unscrupulous labs might exploit.
0:00 - Intro
0:31 - Special Thanks & Project Acknowledgments
2:56 - The Purpose of Cannabis Testing
3:23 - The Prototypical Cannabis Product: Flower
4:23 - The Process of Measuring Cannabinoids
5:34 - The Role of Reference Materials
7:04 - Cannabinoid Testing Study: Our Collaboration
9:01 - Study Methodology: Dilution & Measurements
10:02 - Analyzing the Lab Results
11:47 - Comparing Certified Reference Materials (CRM)
14:40 - The Meaning of Percent Error
16:12 - Lab Performance & Fit-to-Purpose Testing
18:05 - The Source of Lab Error: Human Dilution
20:19 - Examining THC Inflation & Label Discrepancies
22:06 - The Problem of Price Points & Milking Error
23:56 - Defining and Understanding Measurement Error
28:11 - The Purpose of Cannabis Measurement
Learn More about CannMed: cannmedevents.com
Sign Up for Our Newsletter: share.hsforms.com/1oi57oJDnRN-Uqqc9YPByRA20xr2
The CannMed 25 Innovation & Investment Summit showcased its first international venue, the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf & Beach Resort in Puerto Rico from June 17 - 20, 2025. Since its inception at Harvard Medical School in 2016, CannMed has earned a reputation as the premier destination for cutting-edge research, emerging technologies, and investment opportunities. CannMed 25 continues this tradition with medicinal plant researchers, clinicians and venture capitalists who view this Summit as the industry’s number one showcase for the latest advances in plant-based science, medicine, cultivation, and safety.
Tags: Cannabis Testing, Cannabis Laboratory, Cannabis Potency, Compliance Testing, Potency Testing, Cannabis Testing Lab
Dr. Jeff Rawson, Founder & President of the Institute of Cannabis Science, presents "Cannabinoid Certified Reference Materials: A Comparison Across Five Cannabis Testing Labs & Vendors" at CannMed 2025.
The contents of cannabinoid compounds in cannabis flower and cannabis-derived products is the basis of their value, but many people distrust claims of cannabis potency. The standardization of these contents requires their accurate analytical measurement, a process that uses references such as Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) to establish concentrations of cannabinoids. We report the largest collaborative study to investigate the variability between CRMs from multiple vendors and between cannabis testing labs in multiple US states and Canada, contextualized within the results of shelf testing and data from cannabis testing labs. Our presentation compares the sources of variance in the testing of cannabis for cannabinoids, which has been shown to differ from their labeled content by up to 50%, with the discrepancies in CRM concentrations.
32 cannabinoid CRM products from five companies were analyzed at five independent ISO 17025 accredited testing labs. We arbitrarily selected particular lots of CRMs to use as calibration standards, and labs prepared diluted solutions of each CRM to analyze. Errors from the expected concentrations of these prepared solutions derive from the variations between CRMs, convoluted with error from preparation and analysis of solutions.
The five labs returned 127 deduced concentrations with tight precision, with an average standard deviation of 2.8% of the determined value. The concentrations we deduced for the majority of the solutions agreed closely with their certificates, with the root of mean of squared errors equal to 2.73% of the certified values. We discovered that consistency can be achieved between CRM products, and between measurements performed in multiple labs that use different operating procedures. We also found several larger discrepancies in the concentrations of important cannabinoids, including THCA, that unscrupulous labs might exploit.
0:00 - Intro
0:31 - Special Thanks & Project Acknowledgments
2:56 - The Purpose of Cannabis Testing
3:23 - The Prototypical Cannabis Product: Flower
4:23 - The Process of Measuring Cannabinoids
5:34 - The Role of Reference Materials
7:04 - Cannabinoid Testing Study: Our Collaboration
9:01 - Study Methodology: Dilution & Measurements
10:02 - Analyzing the Lab Results
11:47 - Comparing Certified Reference Materials (CRM)
14:40 - The Meaning of Percent Error
16:12 - Lab Performance & Fit-to-Purpose Testing
18:05 - The Source of Lab Error: Human Dilution
20:19 - Examining THC Inflation & Label Discrepancies
22:06 - The Problem of Price Points & Milking Error
23:56 - Defining and Understanding Measurement Error
28:11 - The Purpose of Cannabis Measurement
Learn More about CannMed: cannmedevents.com
Sign Up for Our Newsletter: share.hsforms.com/1oi57oJDnRN-Uqqc9YPByRA20xr2
The CannMed 25 Innovation & Investment Summit showcased its first international venue, the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf & Beach Resort in Puerto Rico from June 17 - 20, 2025. Since its inception at Harvard Medical School in 2016, CannMed has earned a reputation as the premier destination for cutting-edge research, emerging technologies, and investment opportunities. CannMed 25 continues this tradition with medicinal plant researchers, clinicians and venture capitalists who view this Summit as the industry’s number one showcase for the latest advances in plant-based science, medicine, cultivation, and safety.
