How to Read a Cannabis Certificate of Analysis (COA)

To read a cannabis COA, check four things: the cannabinoid results, led by Total THC; the terpene results; the safety tests, which should all read PASS; and the batch details, which should match your package. A Certificate of Analysis, or COA, is the lab report behind a specific batch, and in New York every product on a licensed shelf must pass that testing before it is sold. Learning to skim one takes about two minutes and makes you a sharper, safer shopper for life. Here is what to look for.

What should you check first on a COA?

A COA can look dense, but four things carry most of the value.

Cannabinoid potency. This is the THC content. In New York, inhaled products such as flower and pre-rolls show it as a percentage, while edibles show milligrams of THC per serving and per package. Total THC is the figure most people compare, since it accounts for the THC that becomes active when the product is heated.

Terpenes. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds that give each strain its smell and flavor. New York requires every final cannabis product to be tested for terpene content, reported as a percentage by weight, and the terpene section tells you more about the character of a batch than THC alone. Our terpenes guide covers the common ones.

Safety screening. A passing COA reads PASS for heavy metals, pesticides, and microbial contaminants such as mold and harmful bacteria, and concentrates are also screened for residual solvents. This is the part that matters most for safety, and it is exactly why buying from a licensed dispensary beats the unregulated market.

Batch and dates. The COA should match the lot or batch number on your package. It also shows when the sample was collected, when the lab received it, and when the report was issued, so you can see how recent the results are.

What is the difference between Total THC and THCA?

You will often see two numbers, THCA and Total THC. Raw cannabis contains THCA, an acid form that converts to THC when you heat it by smoking, vaping, or cooking. Because a gram of THCA does not become a full gram of THC once that conversion happens, New York defines Total THC as THC plus THCA multiplied by 0.877, and labs report it so you do not have to do the math. When you are comparing two products, Total THC is the apples-to-apples number.

Reading the terpene results

Scan the top two or three terpenes by percentage. Myrcene tends to show up in strains people describe as relaxing, limonene in bright and citrusy ones, and pinene in sharp, piney ones. You do not need to memorize the list; you just need to notice that two flowers with identical THC can carry completely different terpene profiles, which is one reason they smell, and can feel, different. Our guide to indica, sativa, and hybrid explains why those labels tell you less than the terpenes do.

Safety screening in plain English

The safety section is the one to never skip. Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, or arsenic can be absorbed from soil as the plant grows, or introduced during processing. Pesticides are chemicals used during cultivation. Residual solvents are used to make concentrated products, so concentrates are checked for what is left behind. Microorganisms cover mold, yeast, and harmful bacteria, and water activity and moisture tests are an indicator of conditions where those can grow.

New York sets a limit for each contaminant, based on how much would need to be present to pose a risk, and a result below the limit reads PASS. The Office of Cannabis Management says you should never see a FAILED result on the COA for a product you buy in New York, because regulated dispensaries can only sell products that passed. That is something the illicit market simply cannot show you.

A quick worked example

Say you are comparing two flowers. The first lists 24% Total THC, 2% total terpenes led by myrcene, and PASS on every safety line. The second lists 27% Total THC, under half a percent terpenes, and the same clean safety results. On paper the second has more THC, but the first will likely smell richer, because terpenes carry the aroma, and 2% is right around the average total terpene content a 2022 study found across 89,923 lab-tested flower samples. Neither choice is wrong; it depends on what you want. That two-minute comparison is the entire skill.

Why this matters in New York

New York's Office of Cannabis Management requires legal cannabis products to be made in the state, lab tested, and accurately labeled before they reach a shelf. Labs are permitted by the Office, and product samples are collected from licensees by sampling firms the Office authorizes. When you shop at a licensed dispensary like Farmers Choice, the COA is your proof that a product was screened for safety and labeled honestly. The Office also warns that an unregulated product may not be lab tested even if its label says it is, and its potency numbers could be completely wrong.

How do you find the COA for a product?

New York requires every product sold at a licensed dispensary to carry a label with a QR code or link to its COA. Scanning the code takes you either straight to the COA or to a website where you can find it for that product. If you cannot find it, ask us: our budtenders can pull up lab results in store, and we are happy to walk through any line on the report with you. Browse the live flower and concentrates menus ahead of time, then Ask Our Team at the Fishkill or New Paltz store to pull the paperwork on anything that catches your eye.