New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission Updates Testing Guidelines

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In a March 4, 2025, blog post, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) announced updates to its testing guidelines. It also provided a guide on how to read a Certificate of Analysis (COA) (1). The new standards are intended to provide better precision, product safety, and transparency. The new testing guideline was approved in the February 2025 meeting, after research and collaboration with experts in the industry as well as regulators.

The guidelines concern batch or lot sizes, product categories, and cannabinoid testing:

• For batch and lot sizes, 33.07 pounds is now the maximum batch size for usable cannabis for testing, reduced from 100 pounds. This is intended to improve testing precision.
• Additionally, lot sizes will also depend on product type (concentrates, vapes, edibles, topicals).
• More rigorous contaminant testing is required for pesticides, heavy metals, microbes, mycotoxins, and foreign matter.
• In order to reduce lab shopping, businesses must use the same testing methods for initial and retention sample testing. This is required unless the Commission provides approval to change.
• Cannabinoid testing must include THCA, CBDA, CBG, CBGA, and CBN (as well as THC and CBD) and must be included on product labels, giving consumers a more complete cannabinoid profile.

Questions about the testing guidance can be directed to CRC.Legal@crc.nj.gov (2).

The blog post also detailed information about accessing and understanding COAs in New Jersey, covering the importance of product information, cannabinoid profile, terpene profile, contaminant testing, moisture content and water activity, and mycotoxins and foreign materials.

Cannabis products from licensed dispensaries are required to undergo third-party testing on the safety, quality, and potency. There are seven state-licensed testing laboratories to test both medical and recreational products (3). In addition to the new testing requirements, the labs test for solvents, allowed inactive ingredients, and stability.

In the even that a dispensary cannot provide a COA for products on its shelf, consumer are directed to reach out to the Medicinal Cannabis Program Customer Service Unit: (609) 292-0424 or medcannabis@crc.nj.gov.

In its 2024 Year in Review summary and analysis, the NJ-CRC reported that as of November, 2,805 applications had been submitted and 338 total operating adult-use licenses and medicinal permits had been issued. Over 24,600 new medical cannabis patients were registered. Out of a total of 338 cannabis business licenses and permits in operation in the state, 251 were for adult-use and 87 were for medicinal purposes. The industry generated $43,290,543 in tax revenue.

References

1. Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Cannabis Testing Guidelines and How to Read a Certificate of Analysis https://www.nj.gov/cannabis/highpoints/approved/20250304.shtml (accessed Mar 5, 2025).
2. New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Testing Guidance. https://www.nj.gov/cannabis/documents/businesses/Business%20Resources/NJ-CRC_Testing_Guidance_2-19-25.pdf (accessed Mar 5, 2025).
3. Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Testing Laboratories https://www.nj.gov/cannabis/businesses/compliance-investigations/testing-labs/ (accessed Mar 5, 2025).
4. Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Growth, Equity, and Impact: NJ-CRC 2024 Year in Review https://www.nj.gov/cannabis/highpoints/approved/20250107.shtml (accessed Mar 5, 2025).