Reading lab results more effectively as a consumer

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COAs are lab reports that detail the chemical composition and safety testing results of cannabis products. These labs exists in the legal and grey markets and are most often provided as PDF format.

What's in a COA?

A Certificate of Analysis contains several categories of lab testing results. NY requires testing per OCM regulations:

Cannabinoid Profile - THC, CBD, and other cannabinoid concentrations
Terpene Profile - Aromatic compounds that affect flavor and effects
Heavy Metals - Lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury testing
Pesticides - Screening for harmful agricultural chemicals
Microbials - Testing for mold, yeast, and bacteria
Mycotoxins - Aflatoxins and other fungal toxins
Residual Solvents - For extracted products

What to Look For

When reviewing COAs, these are key indicators of product quality and potential red flags:

⚠️ Microbial Contamination

Aerobic Bacteria and Yeast/Mold are measured in CFU/g (colony forming units per gram). NY's adult-use program removed specific CFU limits for flower in 2024, but testing is still required for monitoring.

NY Extracts/Infused:<1,000 CFU/g

Medical/USP standard:<10,000 CFU/g

Common tolerance (flower):~100,000 CFU/g

Many recreational users and cultivators are comfortable with counts up to 100k CFU/g for flower, but your senses should be the judge - if it smells off or looks moldy, trust your instincts. Products must test "absent" for dangerous pathogens: Salmonella, E. coli (STEC), and Aspergillus species. See NY OCM Testing Limits.

⚠️ Heavy Metals

Cannabis can absorb heavy metals from soil. NY tests for four primary metals per OCM regulations:

Lead (Pb):<0.5 ppm

Arsenic (As):<0.2 ppm

Cadmium (Cd):<0.2 ppm

Mercury (Hg):<0.1 ppm

⚠️ Suspiciously High THC

"Lab shopping" is a practice where producers seek labs that report higher THC numbers. A 2023 study found ~70% of tested samples had THC at least 15% lower than labeled. Another Colorado study found identical samples returned values varying by up to 38% between labs.

Red flags:

THC consistently above 30% (rare in reality)
THC jumps significantly after switching labs
THC results that don't match the strain's typical range

⚠️ Terpene Red Flags

Terpenes indicate quality handling and strain authenticity. Watch for:

Very low total terpenes (<0.5%) - may indicate poor storage, old product, or aggressive remediation
Only one dominant terpene with trace amounts of others - unusual for natural flower
Terpene profile doesn't match strain - e.g., a "Limonene-dominant" strain showing mostly Myrcene

⚠️ Residual Solvents (Concentrates/Vapes)

For extracted products, residual solvents from the extraction process should be minimal:

Butane:<5,000 ppm

Propane:<5,000 ppm

Ethanol:<5,000 ppm

Solventless products (rosin, bubble hash) should have no detectable solvents. If you see solvents on a "solventless" product, that's a major red flag.

ℹ️ What next?

By collecting and organizing this data at www.checkweedny.com we aim to provide transparency and help consumers make informed decisions about the products they purchase.

This project started in New York because that's the market I'm in, but since the inception of this project 1 month ago, many people have reached out to provide more data from other states. I look forward to being able to empower consumers more with free open data.

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