Why Cannabis Testing Is So Important To The Industry
As more and more countries around the world legalize medical and recreational cannabis, it becomes essential for the markets to regulate the quality of the product put out by different brands.
Growers all over the world now try to occupy the market niche, and because of that, there emerges a need for proper quality control. That is exactly why cannabis testing becomes paramount to the industry, but there are other reasons why we need testing.
Today, we are going to take a closer look at why the weed industry has to be regulated properly and why we need cannabis testing for all the growers legally selling weed across numerous countries.
Why Test Weed?
Cannabis testing is a set of lab-controlled procedures that are aimed at determining the potency of weed, its molecular structure, defining possible contaminants, and just generally finding out whether a particular strain is safe for use. The safety standards are set by the health organizations, whether local or international. To pass the test and successfully get to the market, each particular strain of weed has to adhere to these safety standards. That is one of the most important but not the only reasons we need cannabis testing.
Contaminants
If you are really careful about what you put in your system, you should also pay attention to the quality of weed you consume. Different growers use different fertilizers, different water, different soil, and all sorts of different equipment – some of them might even use some dirty tricks to make their weed grow faster and get more potent, and you would not want to smoke that kind of marijuana.
That’s exactly why tests are crucial for determining whether the growers used any chemicals for boosting up the growth and potency of weed. If you ever watched cannabis documentaries, you probably know that chemicals can severely influence your weed, making it potentially dangerous for consumption. Testing the weed for contaminants helps the market get rid of such strains and make sure the consumers get only the best naturally-grown product.
Apart from chemicals that the growers might intentionally use, tons of contaminants come from poor-quality soil and water. Soil and water might contain heavy metals, which is not something you’d want in your system. Having your weed tested and then delivered to your local dispensary is the best way to make sure you have the finest weed strain names and totally safe products.
Pricing
The price of the weed might often depend on its potency – the more potent your weed is, the more you’ll have to pay for it. Strains high in THC or CDB are generally more expensive, so it is essential for the market to know how to price the product. It is crucial for you, as the potential consumer, to know why one strain of weed is more expensive than the other and why you have to pay more for it. Thus, testing sets up certain frameworks for the pricing policies within the industry, not allowing the growers to drop the prices too low or raise the bar too high.
Importance for the Growers and Dispensaries
Regular tests are essential for the long-term quality of the product, and subsequently, for the profits generated by the producers and retailers. That is why growers themselves would often order testing for their cannabis to get that official quality mark and show the world they produce a good quality weed. This, in turn, stimulates other growers to do the same, so they’d be able to compete within the market.
Selling tested and approved marijuana is also important for the reputation of the dispensaries. Nobody wants to be associated with the low-quality product, which is why dispensaries would rather sell tested and approved products. This would force the growers to adhere to the quality standards, and those who don’t would be pushed out of the legal weed market.
Importance for the Medical Use
Recreational weed is one thing – of course, you’d like your weed to be potent, give you that good high, and give you no negative feelings. The issue with medical weed is an entirely different thing because people who really need it must know what exactly is in that weed, what the percentage of THC and CDB is, what effect it produces, and how potent it is. For people who use cannabis as the way to battle certain conditions, it has to be as precise as the dosage of any other type of medication.
The patients who require medical weed would have to know precisely what percentage of CDB or THC is contained in the strains they buy. That might mean a huge difference in their quality of life, so it is important to test the weed that is prescribed as medication and make sure it produces the exact effects it is supposed to. Otherwise, the effectiveness of such treatment might be compromised.
Wrap Up
Testing is an integral part of putting any type of product on the market. You cannot just go and put your product, especially the one that is supposed to be ingested into the consumer’s body in any possible way, without this product being correctly tested. That is why each strain of cannabis must be put to the test before it gets to the users.
Being concerned with the health of the population, all the countries that have already legalized either medical or recreational marijuana have specific legislations that to control the quality of that weed. Testing also produces a positive effect on the market by eliminating low-quality products and putting the best on the forefront. That is why testing is critical for the healthy development of the industry, the users’ health, and the quality of the product overall.