When buying cannabis and CBD products, you want to know that what you’re buying is of a certain quality. Granted, that goes with anything that you spend your hard-earned money on, but it goes double for something you’re going to be putting into your body.

Fortunately, the cannabis industry is regulated, and responsible suppliers regularly get their products tested and analyzed. For most people, just knowing that the supplier offers a Certificate of Analysis is enough for those people to be able to trust that supplier. However, you might want to read the results for yourself, and if that’s the case, you need to understand the information on the certificate, as well as any other reports.

The Certificate of Analysis tells you exactly what’s in the product. There are different types of THC and the certificate will tell you what type is in the labeled product. Again, for many people, THC is THC. For those looking for a specific variant, however - TCHa, THCv, Delta-8, Delta-9, etc - the certificate can be extremely helpful.

While that’s the main bit of information you’ll be looking for, the CoA also lists the ingredients, both active and inactive, as well as the lot number and the date it was manufactured. Finally, you’ll be able to read the information on CBD content and hemp oil.

Additional lab reports can give you further information on the contents of the product. This is usually broken down into a few different categories.

Cannabinoid Content: This deals with the isomers of CBD and THC. Simply put, this tells you whether or not there’s THC present in the product. Some labs list it as ND, or non-detectable, while others use Limit of Quantitation, or <LOQ. They both indicate that there’s no THC in the product.

Pesticides: Like many plants, pesticides can be used on cannabis to keep harmful insects at bay. Many people try to steer clear of pesticides and this will tell you whether or not any are present. The exact number may differ depending on which lab is doing the testing, but most labs test for dozens of different pesticides.

Microbiology: Products are tested for microbial contamination, with a focus on yeast, mold, E. coli, and salmonella. They not only test for contaminants that are currently present, but they also examine the possibility of future contaminants growing in the product. These tests ensure that any contamination does not exceed the amount allowed by the USP.

Heavy Metals: As with microbes, a certain amount of heavy metals are allowed to be present. This tests for metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, which are all metals that can be found in the soil that the cannabis is grown in, as well as on machines that the product is processed on. Different states may allow for different levels of contamination.