Nevada Cannabis Testing Labs
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Does Nevada License Independent Cannabis Testing Labs?
In Nevada, marijuana and marijuana products are tested by independent third-party owned testing laboratories that are licensed by the state. To test marijuana in Nevada, a marijuana testing laboratory must be licensed by the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB). The state does not have a law that prohibits testing medical and recreational marijuana in the same facility.
Requirements for Marijuana Testing Labs in Nevada
According to the Chapter 453D of Nevada Revised Statutes, cannabis testing laboratories in Nevada must acquire ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation within a year after licensure from an accreditation body that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). Furthermore, a licensed testing laboratory in Nevada is required to do the following:
- Employ a qualified scientific director who will ensure that all quality assurance practices are maintained
- Establish policies ensuring chain of custody for samples of products provided to them
- Maintenance of records for all usable marijuana and marijuana products found on their premises
- Participate in proficiency testing program
Nevada Required Tests for Cannabis Products
For quality assurance purposes, cannabis testing laboratories in Nevada can test up to 18 analytes categories depending on the type of cannabis product sample provided by a cannabis establishment. A marijuana product sample may require testing for some or all of the following:
- Aspergillus flavus
- Aspergillus fumigatus
- Aspergillus niger
- Aspergillus terreus
- Foreign matter inspection
- Growth regulator screening
- Heavy metal screening
- Herbicide screening
- Moisture content
- Mycotoxin screening
- Pathogenic E. coli
- Pesticide residue analysis
- Potency analysis
- Salmonella
- Terpene analysis
- Total coliform
- Total Enterobacteriaceae
- Total yeast and mold
How Do Nevada Marijuana Testing Labs Submit and Report Test Results?
Nevada-licensed independent testing facilities report cannabis testing results by sending electronic copies of their Certificates of Analysis (COA) via e-mail to Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) and the cannabis facilities that submitted the tested samples. Such a report must be transmitted to both parties at the same time.
If a test sample passes, the copy of the COA must be sent to CCB at cannabislabpass@ccb.nv.gov. If it fails, the CCB will receive the COA at cannabislabfail@ccb.nv.gov. Furthermore, the subject line of the email should include the name of the cannabis establishment from which the test samples were collected. The name of the electronic file containing the COA should be put in the following format:
- Facility ID issued by the CCB to the cannabis testing facility
- Underscore
- 4-digit identifier issued by CCB to the cannabis establishment that submitted the sample
- Production run number (only if the sample is from a production run)
If the sample is not from a production run, the following is added:
- Batch number
- Underscore
- Lot number
How Much Does It Cost to Test Cannabis in Nevada?
Nevada's cannabis testing laboratories do not make the cost of testing cannabis available to the public. You can call or visit the websites of any state-licensed testing laboratory to ask about their prices for various cannabis tests.
What Happens to Cannabis Products That Fail Lab Tests in Nevada?
Nevada permits the retesting and remediating of cannabis and cannabis products that have failed required testing. If a cannabis production run or lot fails required tests such as homogeneity, microbial screening, water activity, or residual solvents testing, the cannabis cultivator or production facility can request from the appropriate Board agent, an approval to remediate the lot or use them to make cannabis extract. Also, the Board will only authorize no more than 50 retests for failed production run or lot in a year. If a production facility does not request for the retesting of samples that failed required testing, both the sample and production run will be destroyed by the testing facility.
List of Cannabis Testing Labs in Nevada
Nevada does not provide a list of licensed cannabis testing facilities in the state. However, prominent licensed cannabis testing facilities located in the state include: