Virginia cannabis testing requirements

Required tests

• Potency
• Terpenes
• Pesticides
• Residual solvents
• Heavy metals
• Microbials
• Mycotoxins
• Water activity
• Moisture

ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation

Required within a set period. 3VAC10-60-20 A 4: a lab must show ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation or proof that it has applied, and must be accredited within 24 months of applying (the Board may extend this for good cause). Until then it may use nonaccredited methods. The accreditation body must be ILAC-recognized.

Notes

• Rules: 3VAC10-60 (Testing of Cannabis Products), in effect 1 January 2024 and amended 10 February 2025.
• Cannabis oil, each homogenized batch: THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA, terpene profile, microbials (USP <1111>), mycotoxins, heavy metals, residual solvents and pesticides.
• Botanical cannabis, each harvest batch: total THC and CBD, terpene profile, microbials (American Herbal Pharmacopoeia), mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticides, water activity 0.65 aw or less and moisture 15% or less.
• Mycotoxins: aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and ochratoxin A under 20 ppb combined. Heavy metals: arsenic under 10, cadmium under 4.1, lead under 10, mercury under 2 ppm.
• Pesticides: strictest EPA food tolerance (40 CFR 180 subpart C); a batch that fails cannot be remediated. Residual solvents in oil: hexane 290 ppm or less, other approved solvents 5,000 ppm or less.
• Labs must be independent of the industry and hold a Virginia controlled substances registration (Code of Virginia 54.1-3423). They visually inspect oil samples and reject heterogeneous ones.
• Adult use: House Bill 30 (2026) authorizes retail sales from 1 July 2027. The CCA released draft rules in September 2026, including a testing laboratory license; final rules are scheduled to take effect in January 2027.
• Hemp: House Bill 30 moves hemp oversight from VDACS to the CCA (expected August 2026). From 15 August 2026, a product with more than 2 mg total THC per package cannot be made or sold as hemp.