Zion Medicinal is a Utah medical cannabis pharmacy with two locations: one in Cedar City and the other in St. George. Customers visiting either location expect to find high quality medical cannabis products capable of relieving their symptoms. But how would a customer know if product quality was up to par? More importantly, how do pharmacies go about guaranteeing quality?
It turns out that the questions are easier to ask than answer. It is not possible to outline a black-and-white system for ensuring quality at the retail level. This is partially because medical cannabis is regulated on a state-by-state basis. It’s also partially due to a lack of standards within the industry.
Nonetheless, there are some general guidelines they tend to apply in most states:
1. Product Testing
Zion Medicinal representatives explain that all medical cannabis products on their shelves must be tested and certified by state labs before ever reaching them. In other words, cannabis processors must submit their products for testing. That is the law in Utah. Other states may have different laws on the books.
As a general rule, product testing involves:
- Microbial and pesticide testing
- Heavy metal testing
- Residual solvent testing
- Testing for THC potency
In some cases, a processor may choose to present a CBD product as medical cannabis despite it having minimal THC. The product still needs to be tested to guarantee that THC levels are below the legal threshold for CBD products.
2. Supplier Evaluations
Ensuring medical cannabis quality is enhanced through routine supplier evaluations. I am not aware of any states that require such evaluations, but pharmacies choosing to pursue them do so to guarantee they are offering their customers the best quality products they can.
Here are the basics:
- Pharmacies research the reputations and product quality of any new suppliers they are thinking of bringing on.
- They conduct regular performance evaluations based on metrics like order accuracy and product availability.
- They concentrate on building long-term relationships with reliable suppliers in order to maintain consistency and quality.
Just like any other business, medical cannabis pharmacy owners know that selling low quality products is not going to cut it. Medical cannabis is quite expensive in most states. So they know their customers expect quality for the amount of money they are paying. Pharmacies take it upon themselves to evaluate quality as best they can.
3. Regulatory Compliance
Finally, the states have enacted a series of rules and regulations designed purposely to protect customers against low quality and unsafe products. At the top of the list is licensing. Take Utah as an example again. Every cannabis business in the Beehive State needs to be licensed. And to be licensed, they must meet minimum standards for quality and safety.
Compliance with testing and growing standards encourages adherence to the state’s definition of high quality and safety. If a product gets the okay from an independent lab, the processor and pharmacy know that it is both safe and of good quality.
States encourage compliance by giving patients access to an online database where they can check and verify licenses. Some states even have an online reporting system in place. Patients can use the system to report any perceived lack of compliance.
A Word About Guarantees
In closing this post, a word about guarantees is an order. Despite all the efforts to ensure product quality, there are never any ironclad guarantees in medical cannabis. Low quality product does slip through the cracks. But by and large, sticking with a reputable pharmacy results in access to the highest quality products on the market.
