Cannabis Laboratory
Health Canada's Cannabis Laboratory was established in Longueuil in 2021 as the federal government's single window for cannabis-related laboratory testing services. The Cannabis Laboratory provides scientific and technical services in support of Health Canada's inspection activities related to legal cannabis. It also supports law enforcement agencies in their activities relating to illicit cannabis.
The Cannabis Laboratory works with partner organizations around the world to develop high-quality scientific standards and procedures for cannabis analysis.
The Cannabis Laboratory is accredited to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025.
The Cannabis Laboratory is committed to maintaining confidentiality; all information received and results obtained are used solely for the purposes required to fulfill service obligations and will not be divulged or used for any other purpose.
On this page
- Services in support of Health Canada's Cannabis Inspection Program
- Services in support of Law Enforcement Agencies
- Cannabis Data Gathering Program
- Analyzed Cannabis Report
- Contact us
Services in support of Health Canada's Cannabis Inspection Program
- The Cannabis Laboratory provides analytical support to the compliance and enforcement activities of Health Canada's Cannabis Inspection Program.
- The Cannabis Laboratory offers chemical analysis services for samples taken as part of inspections conducted to monitor or verify licence holder’s compliance with the requirements under the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations.
- The Cannabis Laboratory analyzes samples submitted as part of Compliance Monitoring Projects, which are projects focused on a specific program area that uses, among others things, sampling of products to proactively gather risk intelligence.
The Cannabis Laboratory’s chemical analysis services include, but are not limited to:
- Content in total THC, CBD and other cannabinoids
- Variability limits
- Heavy metals
- Residual solvents
- Mycotoxins
- Terpenes
- Screening for unauthorized substances
The Cannabis Laboratory collaborates with specialized Health Canada laboratories for the analysis of pesticide active ingredients and microbiological contaminants, including analyses for water activity and foreign particulate matter.
The analyses carried out by the Cannabis Laboratory support Health Canada's Inspection Program in its objective of minimizing risks to public health and public safety associated with cannabis consumption.
Services in support of Law Enforcement Agencies
The Cannabis Laboratory offers forensic analysis services to support law enforcement agencies in their cannabis investigations. It provides services to the following organizations, such as:
- Canadian law enforcement agencies
- Federal agencies such as Canada Border Services Agency and Correctional Service Canada
- Criminal justice system representatives
Every year, over 12,000 exhibits suspected to contain cannabis are submitted to the Cannabis Laboratory by law enforcement agencies across the country. These exhibits are submitted for analysis without any information about their provenance or the cases in which they are involved.
The Cannabis Laboratory’s services include, but are not limited to:
- Certification of the exhibit to the category of cannabis identified by the laboratory, in accordance with the Cannabis Act. The Certificate of Analyst reports the results obtained for each exhibit submitted to the laboratory. It can be used in police investigations or as evidence in Canadian courts.
- Assay, when required, to determine the cannabinoid content of an exhibit.
- Publication of reports on statistics and trends based on cannabis exhibits submitted for analysis.
- Scientific and technical support following the dismantling of clandestine cannabis laboratories.
- Advice and training on :
- Identifying cannabis categories
- Cannabis trends
- Collection of cannabis exhibits for the purposes of investigation or prosecution
- Testimony in court
Cannabis Data Gathering Program
The Cannabis Laboratory established a new Cannabis Data Gathering Program in 2023 to support Health Canada's data collection efforts with respect to the composition of legal and illicit cannabis products available on the Canadian market. Reports published from the data generated by the program will be shared with the public. These reports will make no reference to product names, brands or license holders.
Analyzed Cannabis Reports
Note: The hyperlink provided in this section grants access to a wide array of search options for retrieving data related to the analysis of illicit cannabis. Users can explore data on various aspects such as: annual, quarterly, provincial, and specific substances.
Contact us
For more information about the Cannabis Laboratory, please contact:
Cannabis Laboratory
Health Canada
Cannabis Laboratory
1001 St-Laurent Street West
Longueuil (Quebec) J4K 1C7
Phone: 450-928-4046
Email: sad.longueuil@hc-sc.gc.ca
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