Massachusetts regulators have uncovered 13 cannabis flower products whose actual THC levels fell outside the state’s permitted labeling range, marking an early result of an expanded effort to address potency inflation in the state’s $1.7 billion marijuana industry.
The Cannabis Control Commission said that it had analyzed 63 flower products as part of a continuing shelf audit launched earlier this year. Of those samples, 13 failed to meet the state’s requirements for THC accuracy.
Under Massachusetts regulations, the measured potency of a cannabis product can range from 75% to 125% of the THC figure displayed on its packaging. For example, flower advertised as containing 20% THC must produce a laboratory result between 15% and 25% to remain within the permitted range.
The products that fell outside the limits were issued red notices, prompting additional regulatory action. The CCC said it placed holds on the affected inventory, preventing the products from being sold while their status is resolved.
Companies responsible for the products have several options. They can conduct another laboratory test, withdraw and repurpose the cannabis subject to fresh testing, recall and relabel the merchandise using the audit result, or destroy the affected stock.
The commission has not yet disclosed which growers, manufacturers, or laboratories were connected to the products. A CCC spokesperson said the information is expected to be published on the agency’s website at a later date.
The findings come amid long-running concerns about the pressure on cannabis businesses to produce products with increasingly high THC percentages. Industry participants have said shoppers often favor stronger flower, creating incentives for companies to seek higher laboratory results.
Critics argue that those commercial pressures helped fuel the practice known as lab shopping, where businesses may move between testing facilities in search of more favorable results.
Regulators in Massachusetts and other states have responded with measures including random product checks. The CCC said its future audits will also examine possible contamination involving bacteria, pesticides, mold, heavy metals, and yeast.
The Institute of Cannabis Science chair Jeff Rawson welcomed the enforcement effort but said the state’s 25% tolerance remains relatively broad. He noted that roughly one in five products examined in the initial audit failed despite that allowance.
The Massachusetts findings follow earlier controversies involving cannabis laboratories. In one case last year, regulators temporarily closed a testing facility after its reported rate of mold and yeast failures was dramatically below the statewide average. The laboratory was later permitted to resume operations.
Efforts to stamp out inaccurate THC labels on marijuana products will be applauded by the broader cannabis industry, including established firms like TerrAscend Corp. (TSX: TSND) (OTCQX: TSNDF) that would be comfortable seeing brands competing on a level field in which all players abide by uniform labeling standards.
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