How to Read a COA for Hemp Flower

The past few years have given rise to a new hemp product industry and an extremely large surge in products that feature high concentrations of cannabinoids like CBD and Delta 8 THC, among others. Seemingly overnight, these cannabinoids were offered in various forms such as tinctures, capsules, and edibles. There are now even CBD products designed specifically for pets! In addition to this already diverse product offering, another form of CBD and Delta 8 THC-laden products that have come to the forefront is hemp flower.

Hemp flower allows the cannabinoid enthusiast to smoke their daily dose of hemp and enjoy the aroma and taste of this wondrous plant while experiencing its benefits almost immediately. But do you really know what’s in the hemp flower you are smoking?

The Importance of a COA

A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is a laboratory report issued by an independent, third-party laboratory. When a COA is issued after a product is tested, that report will provide a breakdown of the elements that the lab found within a sample of that product. For example, the lab report will contain a cannabinoid profile and essential information pertaining to that flower. The importance of only purchasing smokable hemp from a premium supplier like PharmaCBD, who can provide you with a COA on their hemp flower, cannot be overstated. Here’s why.

Hemp is a tremendous strain of the cannabis family of plants and has been used to make paper, sails, rope, and clothing for 10,000 years. This same plant is now being used largely to make CBD and Delta 8 THC products in the modern world. One of the many beneficial attributes of the hemp plant is that it draws heavy metals, pesticides, and toxins from the soil it is grown in. It is, in fact, so proficient at this that fields of hemp were planted around the Chernobyl power plant disaster site to revitalize the soil in the area. Unfortunately, the harmful chemicals absorbed into the hemp plant may end up in the plant’s leaves and flower. Without a COA to show the exact content of the hemp flower, the user may be unaware that they are smoking a hemp flower that actually contains harmful chemicals that the hemp plant from the soil pulled. Reading the COA for the hemp flower you are considering will let you know if that flower contains any harmful materials.

One of the other reasons it is important to insist on a COA is the lack of government oversight for the hemp product industry. Many people are under the mistaken assumption that because CBD, Delta 8 THC, and other hemp products are sold in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors the labeling of these products and ensures that they contain no harmful chemicals. Because CBD, Delta 8 THC, and other cannabinoid-based products are still considered supplements, there is currently no FDA oversight. This has led many unscrupulous vendors to mislabel their products or provide products that contain harmful ingredients. This is why you never want to ingest, apply, or inhale a hemp-based product without first reading that product’s COA from an independent laboratory.

How to Read a COA for Hemp Flower

Different laboratories issue their Certificate of Analysis in a variety of formats, so the exact layout will not be the same. However, most laboratories carry the same basic information.

Laboratory Information

This is usually at the top of the COA and contains information about the lab, such as its name, address, and license number. Look to be sure this report doesn’t seem unofficial or issued by the hemp distributor themselves. This COA should always be from an independent lab.

Batch Test Information

This section generally shows what was tested, the batch number, and the date of the test. This is how you can be sure you’re looking at the right test for the hemp flower you are investigating.

Cannabinoid Profile

This is a complete list of cannabinoids found in the test sample. To the right of this list of cannabinoids, you will usually find headers like LOQ, Mass %, and Mass mg/g.

• LOQ stands for Limit of Quantification. In order for the tested cannabinoid to be reported, the detected amount of that cannabinoid must be equal to or greater than the LOQ number.
• Mass % is the percentage of the mass of that cannabinoid in relationship to the entire mass of the sample. In order to be considered federally legal, the Delta 9 THC content percentage should be no more than 0.3%.
• Mass mg/g is the actual weight of the cannabinoid within the sample.

Other Areas

Depending on the laboratory, you may also get other results like a complete terpene profile, the sample’s moisture content, or a display showing the presence of any toxins, solvents, or other chemicals in the sample.

We Have Your Hemp Flower!

Whether you are looking for a hemp flower heavy in CBD or Delta 8 THC, we have a vast inventory to choose from. From our prepackaged CBD Cookie Dough flower to our D8 Sour Space Candy flower, to our 2g King Palm Blunts, to our prerolls, you’ll find what you’re looking for at PharmaCBD!

And with PharmaCBD, you can be assured that you are getting only the best because all of our hemp flower offerings come with a COA from an independent laboratory. We are so proud of the quality of our products that we post each COA right on our website.

Knowing precisely what you are inhaling is too important to trust other hemp flower providers who may offer products produced from imported hemp. Even more important, you never want to inhale or ingest anything that isn’t independently tested. In the hemp flower industry, that testing must come from a third-party laboratory, and the resulting Certificate of Analysis must be available for you to inspect. Buy your hemp flower only from a company that can provide you with U.S. grown hemp tested and comes with a COA. Buy your hemp flower from PharmaCBD!