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How to read a lab label

Every cannabis product sold in Nevada is tested by a state-licensed lab, and every batch carries a certificate of analysis, the COA. Learn to read three sections of it and the menu stops being a wall of numbers.

The three sections that matter

A COA reports cannabinoids (how much THC, CBD, and their relatives the batch actually contains), the terpene profile (the aroma compounds that shape character; see the terpene guide), and the safety screens: tests for pesticides, residual solvents, and microbials that the batch must pass to be sold at all. The numbers on our menu come from that testing, not from a brand's marketing sheet.

Percent or milligrams: which number you see and why

Inhalable products, flower, pre-rolls, concentrates, vapes, express potency as a lab-measured THC percentage of the product's weight. Ingestible products, edibles, tinctures, topicals, beverages, express it as the labeled dose in milligrams, the same number printed on the package. Two conventions, one rule: the menu shows the number that matches what you are holding.

The labeled dose is a convention, and that is fine

For edibles, the label and the lab can differ slightly: independent sampling of products labeled 100mg has measured contents roughly between 56 and 110mg, with most landing within about ten percent of the label. Menus and shelf tags deliberately show the LABELED dose so the number you shop by matches the package in your hand; the safety screens and cannabinoid testing are where the lab's word is final.

Why per-batch matters

Testing happens per batch, so the same product name can carry different numbers from one batch to the next. That is not sloppiness, it is honesty: plants are agriculture, not industrial output. It is also why Planet 13 grades character per batch (see the five-class spectrum) instead of letting last season's numbers describe this season's jar.

Educational content, not medical advice. Testing requirements described are Nevada's; other states differ. For use only by adults 21 and older.