South Dakota Cannabis Testing Overview

Required.

All medical cannabis and cannabis products must undergo compliance testing by a licensed cannabis testing facility. Test results must be reported via a Certificate of Analysis (COA) to the      submitting facility and logged into the state's inventory tracking system (Metrc) daily. 

Mandatory Testing:

• Δ⁹-THC
• THCA
• Total THC (calculated as: THCA × 0.877 + Δ⁹-THC)

Optional Testing:

• CBD and CBDA may also be tested, but only Δ⁹-THC is mandated by name.

Not Required  

Terpene testing is not mandated under current South Dakota regulations.

South Dakota requires testing for the following contaminants:

• a. Pesticides:
  • Testing for specific pesticides is mandatory.
  • 13 prohibited pesticides explicitly listed (e.g., Myclobutanil, Imidacloprid, Paclobutrazol, Bifenazate, Azoxystrobin).
  • Maximum action levels range from 0.2 to 0.5 ppm, depending on the compound.

• b. Mycotoxins:
  • Aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2): Total ≤20 µg/kg.
  • Ochratoxin A: ≤20 µg/kg. 

• c. Microbial Contaminants:
  • Total Aerobic Bacteria: ≤10⁵ CFU/g.
  • Total Yeast & Mold: ≤10⁴ CFU/g.
  • E. coli (Shiga toxin-producing): ≤1 CFU/g.
  • Salmonella:  ≤1 CFU/g.
  • Aspergillus spp.: ≤1 CFU/g.
  • Bile-tolerant gram-negative bacteria: ≤10³ CFU/g.

• d. Heavy Metals:
  • Arsenic: ≤0.2 ppm.
  • Cadmium: ≤0.2 ppm.
  • Lead: ≤0.5 ppm.
  • Mercury: ≤0.1 ppm

• e. Foreign Materials:
  • Implied through quality and visual inspection standards, though no numeric thresholds are published.

• No required testing for terpenes.
• Chromium, Nickel, or Selenium are not included in the heavy metal panel.
• No testing for Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella spp., or Clostridium botulinum.
• Visual foreign matter thresholds (e.g., insect parts, hairs) are not quantitatively defined.

Moderate Concern: 

South Dakota's testing panel is thorough in core categories but lacks explicit terpene, chromium/nickel, and broad microbial species coverage. 

Not Required. 

There is no mention of moisture content or water activity (aw) testing in the current rules.

South Dakota Department of Health: Office of Medical Cannabis

Website:      https://medcannabis.sd.gov

Phone:      (605) 773-3048

Address:      600 E Capitol Ave, Pierre, SD 57501

Email:      medicalcannabis@state.sd.us

South Dakota Department of Health. (2023). Article 44:90 Medical Cannabis Rules. https://rules.sd.gov/Uploads/701_AdoptedRules.pdf

South Dakota Department of Health. (2023). Revised Administrative Rules 44:90 Medical Cannabis Section by Section Summary. https://medcannabis.sd.gov/docs/4490_rules_summary.pdfMedical

South Dakota Legislature. (n.d.). Administrative Rule 44:90. https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/44%3A90South 

South Dakota Department of Health. (2023). Cannabis Testing Facilities.      https://southdakotastatecannabis.org/licensing/testing