Standards for Sampling and Testing Cannabis and Hemp Products

The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has implemented a testing approach for the state’s cannabis and hemp industries that borrows from well-established industry monitoring systems used in agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical test programs. In these systems, regulation is based on trusting the industry to be a good partner, and establishing a system to verify that products are tested as specified and ensure the products meet the set requirements. OCM’s cannabis compliance testing requirements work in parallel with surveillance sampling and testing that is performed on a representative subset of samples from the industry. This parallel testing strategy allows Minnesota to adopt a risk-based testing approach that requires products to be tested for contaminants at the point of greatest concern. This approach allows less testing overall of contaminants across all products.   

This document details compliance testing requirements for cannabis and hemp products manufactured or sold by businesses licensed by OCM.  

Overview

Analytical testing of cannabis and hemp for safety and potency is increasingly recognized as a critical and necessary component of the industry for several reasons:

  1. Laboratory testing minimizes the risk of pesticides, microbes, heavy metals, toxins, and residual solvents from being consumed.
  2. Quantification of cannabinoid profiles and potency available for the consumer ensures consistency with labeling and aids in determining appropriate consumption for individual use.
  3. Laboratory testing provides public safety and product quality for the cannabis and hemp products tested.

The testing requirements in the standards document linked above apply to all cannabis and hemp products produced or sold by operators licensed by OCM. Cultivators and manufacturers are required to comply with the sampling requirements described in Minnesota Rules, chapter 9810, and this document. They also must contract with a testing facility licensed by OCM to perform the required testing. The testing facilities licensed by OCM are required to test the products to the levels described in this document, to communicate the results through Metrc (the statewide seed-to-sale monitoring system) or using compliant certificates of analysis (COAs) to report the results in compliance with this document, and to use methods meeting performance criteria specified in this document. Minnesota Statutes, section 342.37, ISO 17025, and Minnesota Rules, part 9810.3000 require that testing facilities ensure the impartiality of testing results in order to maintain the independence of the Minnesota cannabis marketplace. 

Questions?

For questions about Minnesota’s technical authority on sampling and testing, please visit OCM's Contact Us webpage.