Michigan Cannabis Testing Overview

Required.
All cannabis and cannabis-infused products must undergo testing by a licensed Safety Compliance Facility. A Certificate of Analysis (COA) must be submitted into METRC and must match the results exactly. COAs are required before a product may be sold or transferred.

Required.

Labs must test for:

• Δ⁹-THC
• THCA
• CBD
• CBDA

Additional cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN, THCV, and others may be reported if the lab’s method has been validated and approved by CRA.

• LOQ must be ≤ 1.0 mg/g
• Testing must be done “as is”, without adjusting for moisture content.

Not required.

Terpene testing is permitted but not mandatory. If claimed on product labels, terpenes may be analyzed and reported, but they are not part of the required COA panel. 

Comprehensive multi-category testing required.

a. Pesticides / Chemical Residues:

• Over 50 banned pesticide compounds must be screened, including:
  • Myclobutanil
  • Daminozide
  • Paclobutrazol
  • DDVP (Dichlorvos)
  • Propoxur
  • Pyrethrins
• Action limits are enforced based on product type.

b. Heavy Metals: Must test for:

• Arsenic
• Cadmium
• Lead
• Mercury
• Chromium
• Nickel (inhalables only)
• Copper (required for vape products only)

d. Microbial Contaminants:

• E. coli (STEC): ND in 1g
• Salmonella spp.: ND in 1g
• Aspergillus flavus, fumigatus, niger, terreus: ND in 1g
• Total coliforms:
  • Flower: <1,000 CFU/g
  • Edibles: <100 CFU/g
• Yeast & Mold:
  • Medical flower: ≤10,000 CFU/g
  • Adult-use lower: ≤100,000 CFU/g

e. Mycotoxins: Required (especially for remediation testing).

• Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2
• Ochratoxin A
• Action limit: ≤20 ppb for each

f. Foreign Matter / Visual Inspection: Labs must visually inspect 30% of the representative sample. Immediate failure is triggered by the presence of:

• Hair
• Mold
• Insects
• Glass, plastic, or metal fragments

Michigan’s program is highly detailed, but does not require testing for:

• Listeria monocytogenes
• Shigella spp.
• Terpenes (unless voluntarily claimed)

Low Concern: 

Michigan enforces one of the most advanced and enforced testing panels in the U.S., with specific protocols for inhalable and  high-risk compounds. 

Required.

• Flower: must be ≤0.65 aw

Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA)  

Website: https://www.michigan.gov/cra  

Email: CRA-Licensing@michigan.gov 

Phone: (517) 284-8599 Address: 2407 N Grand River Ave, Lansing, MI 48906 

Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency. (April 13, 2022). Michigan Sampling and Testing Technical Guidance for Marijuana Products. Version 5.1

Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency. (2024). Sampling and Testing Technical Guidance, Version 5.2

Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency. (2024). MCT advisory and target analyte update.