A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the lab report that proves a cannabis product was tested for potency and contaminants. Who tests it, and what has to end up on the package, changes from one place to the next. Tap a highlighted country, or the United States to pick a state, and play one batch through from farm to shelf.
has a walkthrough · tap a country, or the US to choose a state
Cannabis is legal state by state in the US, and each writes its own testing and label rules. Nine are mapped so far.
Where they differ: who pulls the sample, whether there's a middleman, which warning or symbol is required, whether you buy it in a shop or a pharmacy, and whether there's a QR, stamp, or track-and-trace code you can check yourself. Each card below calls out that place's twist.
A licensed distributor drives the chain: it packages the batch, arranges lab sampling, and clears the pass. COA QR optional; universal "!THC" triangle.
Interactive →No distributor tier: the cultivator self-samples and sends to the lab. Untested "R&D" product carries a blunt "produced without regulatory oversight" warning.
Interactive →The producer self-samples to an accredited lab. The only required mark is a red-hand "NOT FOR KIDS" symbol, no THC triangle; traceability runs on the state's CCRS, not Metrc.
Interactive →An independent sampling firm pulls the sample on video. The COA QR is required on the label (opposite of California), alongside a yellow "THC!" triangle and "21+".
Interactive →The lab comes on-site to sample. The symbol is a green inverted triangle reading "MARIJUANA PRODUCT" (no "!"), and potency carries a "±10%" allowance note.
Interactive →A split regulator (IDFPR licenses stores, the Dept. of Agriculture licenses growers). There is no required cannabis symbol, the long text warning does the work.
Interactive →The licensee self-samples to a single independent lab. The package carries two marks, a red "CONTAINS THC" triangle and a "Not Safe for Kids" octagon; edibles cap at 5 mg per serving.
Interactive →Medical only, and vertically integrated: one company grows, makes, and sells. An arm's-length state-certified lab clears every batch and a state registry decides who can even buy. Gas-station delta-8 sits outside it all.
Interactive →Two systems: a tiny low-THC medical program, plus a hemp market just reined in. As of mid-2026 delta-8 is banned; low-dose delta-9 stays legal 21+, its safety resting on a COA you can scan.
Interactive →One federal rulebook coast to coast: every legal pack is licensed, batch lab-tested, and sealed with a CRA excise stamp you can check yourself, plus the red "THC" symbol.
Interactive →Legal cannabis is a pharmacy medicine: an ANVISA authorization number on the label, made under GMP, and batch-tested by a Brazil-accredited (REBLAS) lab before sale.
Interactive →Legal to hold, hard to buy. The strongest controls live in the pharmacy channel, where medical cannabis is batch-released to a pharmacopoeia standard; clubs test under lighter rules.
Interactive →Two regulators: specialist-only medical prescriptions dispensed by pharmacies, and everyday CBD vetted as a food on the FSA public list, capped near-zero THC.
Interactive →Strict by default: recreational stays a crime, medical is a stalled pharmacy pilot, and shop CBD is legal only at or under 0.3% THC with no health claims.
Interactive →A low-THC (≤0.3%) pharmacy medicine, ISO 17025 lab-verified and tracked unit-by-unit with a QR code the state can audit end to end.
Interactive →No legal rec market, but a huge medical one. Even "unapproved" products must pass the national TGO 93 standard before a pharmacy dispenses them on prescription.
Interactive →A 2025 U-turn made cannabis prescription-only again: a GACP-certified farm, a batch COA from the medical-sciences lab, and a licensed dispensary with a practitioner on-site.
Interactive →The only legal "cannabis" is near-zero-THC CBD. The safety net sits at the border: a lab report must prove the THC is under a strict ppm limit before customs lets it in.
Interactive →Sample data for illustration only. Label symbols are approximations, real packaging must use each jurisdiction's official artwork and current regulations. Framework citations are provided as starting points, not legal advice. Cannabis rules change quickly; verify against the current law for your country or state before relying on any detail.
WeedCentral