Cannabis is a controlled substance, subject to additional unique requirements for tracking samples from “seed to sale”. Regulatory oversight ensures that cannabis products are properly tested for potentially harmful contaminants as well as potency. With the help of a LIMS, cannabis testing laboratories can efficiently meet compliance and other common challenges.

Laboratories testing cannabis today face challenges common to start-ups—hiring, identifying resources, purchasing equipment, securing certification, solidifying a go to market strategy. They must also follow regulatory requirements regarding transparency and reporting along with achieving ISO 17025 Certification. With new companies entering the market, building and maintaining competitive advantage is also key.

Data quality is essential for required tests including: presence of bacteria, solvents, pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, foreign material (yeast and mold). Water activity and potency are also tested. Using Excel to store this data has significant drawbacks including lack of security and data integrity, no audit trail, and increased inefficiencies and labor costs associated with manual entry.

ATL LIMS offer sample tracking, chain of custody and other reports, audit trails, communication of results, automated instrument integration, METRC integration and more essential features specific to the Cannabis industry.

Start up labs will also find benefit in deployment options. Cloud-hosted or SaaS implementations save time and money, especially for labs with limited IT resources. In addition to cost savings, scalability is also ideal for accommodating future growth and expansion.

ATL’s LIMS and automation solutions offer increased efficiency, productivity, traceability, and data integrity. Features also support ISO 17025 compliance, simplifying and streamlining the audit process.

How can your Cannabis testing lab use a LIMS?