Certificate of Analysis of Full Spectrum Cannabinoid test

Since the rise of CBD strains we’ve gotten more questions about testing the THC and CBD values. Because it’s only legal to grow CBD weed/hemp (with a THC value of 0.2%) in most countries, it’s of much importance to know exactly how much THC is in the plants. When you finally have to test you obviously want to know what other cannabinoids are in your weed or weed oil. We call this a full spectrum test which you can see the entire spectrum of cannabinoids present. There are already a few affordable machines on the market that are excellent to do your own tests at home or for your Coffeshop/Dispensary with a bud of weed so you can test which THC/CBD strength is just right for you. These machines (MyDX, Gemmacert, Luminary Beacon, etc.) are easy to use and are perfect to test recreational THC-weed samples with, because those strains can contain 16 to 24% of THC, and then it doesn’t necessarily matter if there is a 0,5% deviation.

But if you have (over a) hectare of packed greenhouses and the THC value absolutely cannot be over 0.2% (because otherwise all of it is illegal) you need a test that’s accurate to 0.01%. You have to perform these kinds of tests in a laboratory which can perform high pressure gaschromatography (or HPGC, for short) or High Pressure Liquid Chromatography genoemd (or HPLC, for short) tests. These are very highly accurate and are required in a few countries before you’re allowed to harvest your plants. With these tests, you get a full spectrum COA (or certificate or analysis), on which you can see what cannabinoids are exactly in your plants, down to 0.01%

Because every plant has different THC/CBD values, it’s highly recommended to test multiple plants to get a good overview of the present THC/CBD values. Even if you’re not using seeds but clones of 1 mother plant you will see that these values differ on the COA because one plant is a little bit larger or smaller than the other meaning they get more or fewer hours out in the sun, which will have them take in a different amount of nutrients, etc. Temperature differences also have a large influence on these values, meaning the same strain can have different THC/CBD value results on the COA. In the somewhat colder Northern-European countries you see higher THC/CBD values than in the warmer, Mediterranean countries, despite the plants growing better and giving better yields in these countries.

We regularly get offers of strains of which the grower claims that there’s between 25% or even 30% THC values but have never seen a COA which depicts more than 23.7% THC. Only with a COA from Moonrocks is it possible because THC oil and THC crystals are added. That way you can get way higher values as long as you put on more THC oil and crystals before you get the bud tested. But, as far as we know, the highest score of a “raw” cannabis bud is still 23.7% THC, which has been achieved by a Dutch Amnesia Haze. It’s not a coincidence that this is one of the most popular strains in Dutch coffeeshops.

For these high-THC cannabis strains full spectrum tests are mostly done “for fun” but for legal hemp cultivation it’s absolutely necessary to perform tests to make sure that the cultivation remains legal. Especially because the smallest possible difference of 0.01% can cause huge problems for the grower. Therefore we advise for legal CBD/Hemp cultivation to test from the 3^rd week of bloom onwards, once a week and a few plants at a time to see how your plants are, so you can decide the best moment for harvest. It’s possible to test both dry and still fresh, humid cannabis, but cannabis extracts like weed oil, bho or hasj can be tested this way. Never get fooled again and know what you’re growing, or buying.