Cannabis Testing


Service Paused

Potency, Safety & Compliance Testingfor Cannabis Producers

Cadence Analytics Lab has the instrumentation and methods to support cannabis potency, contaminant, and residual solvent testing under Health Canada’s Cannabis Regulations. This service is currently paused. Capabilities are documented here for producers planning ahead.

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8-Assay Capability
HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS/MS
Health Canada Aligned Methods
Service paused. Cannabis testing is not currently available for new orders. Active services are peptide testing and environmental & water testing. Contact the lab to be notified when cannabis testing relaunches.
Capabilities

What This Service Covers

The panel below reflects the methods and instrumentation available at Cadence Analytics Lab. These tests will be offered when the service relaunches.

01
Cannabinoid Potency
Quantitation of THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBN, and CBC. Results reported as percentage by weight. Required for all cannabis products sold under the Cannabis Act.

HPLC-UV / DAD

02
Terpene Profile
Identification and quantitation of primary terpenes including myrcene, limonene, linalool, caryophyllene, and pinene. Supports product labelling and quality differentiation.

GC-MS / GC-FID

03
Residual Solvents
Screening for Class 1, 2, and 3 solvents remaining from extraction processes. Mandatory for all cannabis extracts and concentrates under Health Canada regulations.

GC-MS (Headspace)

04
Pesticide Screening
Multi-residue screening for over 200 pesticides including organophosphates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids against Health Canada maximum residue limits.

LC-MS/MS + GC-MS/MS

05
Heavy Metals
Quantitation of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Cannabis plants are known accumulators, so metal testing is required for all dried cannabis and extract products.

ICP-MS

06
Microbial Contamination
Total aerobic microbial count, total combined yeast and mould count, bile-tolerant gram-negative bacteria, and Salmonella/E. coli absence testing.

Culture + PCR Methods

07
Mycotoxins
Screening for aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2) and ochratoxin A, fungal metabolites that can accumulate in improperly stored cannabis biomass.

LC-MS/MS

08
Water Activity & Moisture
Water activity (Aw) and moisture content measurements to support shelf-life, packaging, and microbial risk assessments for dried cannabis products.

Coulometric KF / Aw Meter

Regulatory Context

Health Canada Requirements

Licensed producers under the Cannabis Act must test finished products before sale. Independent third-party testing supports that verification requirement.

Cannabis Regulations (SOR/2018-144)
Mandatory testing requirements for potency, contaminants, and microbials before any cannabis product enters the legal market.
Independent Testing
Cadence operates as an independent testing lab. Accreditation is a planned future phase as the lab scales its compliance program.
Turnaround
Standard turnaround for the full compliance panel is 5 to 7 business days from sample receipt. Expedited timelines available on request when the service relaunches.
Methods

Instruments Behind the Panel

Potency and terpene work runs on HPLC and GC. Pesticide and mycotoxin screening runs on LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS. Metal quantitation uses ICP-MS. Microbial testing uses culture and PCR-based methods.

HPLC-UV / DAD
GC-MS / GC-FID
LC-MS/MS
ICP-MS
PCR

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Be First to Know When This Relaunches

Leave your details via the contact form and we will reach out when cannabis testing is accepting new orders.

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