COA explainer · United States
Washington: from producer to shelf, what ends up on the label
Play it: the lot moves through Washington’s workflow on the left, and each required label piece snaps onto the package on the right, color-coded by who adds it.
Sample data · Washington (LCB, WAC 314-55) · for illustrationPublished
🏷️ The product label, building live
Cascade · Daily Gummies
Cannabis-Infused Edible
Fictional sample label for illustration, not a compliant, printable label.
🌱 Producer adds it🏭 Processor adds it🔬 Lab adds it🏪 Retailer adds it🏛️ Regulatory (always required)
The big idea: Washington has no distributor, the producer/processor arranges testing and even samples the lot itself, then an independent lab certifies it. Washington’s only required graphic is the red-hand “NOT FOR KIDS” symbol (there is no THC triangle), it runs its own CCRS data system instead of Metrc, and its warnings are short and plain.
Sample label for illustration, not a compliant, printable label. Washington rules (LCB, WAC 314-55), current 2026. Educational, not legal advice.
Step by step: Washington
- Step 1: Producer / harvest lot (Producer) A licensed producer grows and harvests a lot. Washington has no distributor tier and bans vertical retail integration.
- Step 2: Processor makes the product (Processor) A processor turns it into the finished edible and will apply the label. This becomes the producer/processor UBI + lot number.
- Step 3: Producer/processor samples (Producer) The producer or processor takes the samples themselves per protocol (a certified lab may retrieve them). No third-party sampler.
- Step 4: Certified lab analysis (Lab) An independent WSDA-accredited + LCB-certified lab runs potency, water activity, microbials, mycotoxins, pesticides, solvents. Results report to the LCB.
- Step 5: Results / pass-fail (Lab) The lab issues results. This unlocks the label’s Total THC & CBD and, for edibles, THC per serving + per package.
- Step 6: Package + label (Processor) The processor adds the red-hand “NOT FOR KIDS” symbol (required on edibles), the potency, ingredients + allergens, and Washington’s warnings.
- Step 7: Wholesale, retailer (Retailer) Product transfers to a retailer with a manifest; every step is reported into Washington’s own CCRS system (not Metrc).
- Step 8: Retail sale (Retailer) The retailer verifies compliant, labeled product and sells to 21+ (or a medical patient for DOH-compliant product).
Frequently asked questions
Who tests cannabis in Washington?
An independent lab that is WSDA-accredited and LCB-certified tests Washington cannabis. It runs potency, water activity, microbials, mycotoxins, pesticides and solvents, reports the results to the LCB, and issues the pass or fail. Those results unlock the label's total THC and CBD and, for edibles, the THC per serving and per package.
Who pulls the sample in Washington?
The producer or processor takes the samples itself in Washington, following the state protocol, though a certified lab may retrieve them. There is no third-party sampler and no distributor tier, and the state bans vertical retail integration. Every transfer to a retailer is reported into Washington's own CCRS system rather than Metrc.
What has to be on a cannabis label in Washington?
A Washington label carries the producer and processor UBI and lot number, net weight, ingredients and allergens, the total THC and CBD from the lab (THC per serving and per package on edibles), the tested-by line, and the state's short plain warnings. The only required graphic is the red-hand "NOT FOR KIDS" symbol; there is no THC triangle.
Keep reading
Educational information only, not medical advice. Terpene and cannabinoid effects are an active area of research and vary by person, product, and dose. Cannabis is for adults 21+ where legal.
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