How-To Guide
Read a Pesticide Screen Like a Pro
5 things to verify on every COA before you smoke.
Hemp is a hyperaccumulator — it pulls everything from its soil and air, including pesticides. A clean pesticide screen on the COA is the most important safety verification you can do. Here's how to read one without being a chemist.
What's Being Tested
A standard pesticide panel screens 50+ compounds, divided into:
- Cat I (most dangerous): Aldicarb, carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, methyl parathion. ALL must test ND.
- Cat II (controlled limits): Bifenazate, myclobutanil, imidacloprid, etc. Must be below action limits.
- Plant growth regulators: Daminozide, paclobutrazol — illegal on cannabis. Must test ND.
The 5 Things to Check
1. Status column says "PASS"
Any "FAIL" on the panel = walk away. Doesn't matter which compound.
2. Each compound shows "ND" or below LOQ
ND = Not Detected. LOQ = Limit of Quantitation (the lowest amount the lab can reliably measure). Below LOQ is fine — it means the compound was below the action limit.
3. Watch for myclobutanil specifically
Myclobutanil is a fungicide that converts to hydrogen cyanide when heated/burned. ANY detectable myclobutanil on a smokable hemp COA is a hard pass.
4. Verify the lab is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited
A pesticide screen from a non-accredited lab is meaningless. ISO/IEC 17025 is the gold standard for testing labs.
5. Check the date
COAs older than 12 months may not reflect the current batch. Premium brands publish a fresh COA per batch.
Quick Decision Tree
✅ PASS status + all ND or below LOQ + ISO accredited + recent date = SAFE
⚠️ Any single compound above action limit = PASS BUT CAUTIOUSLY
❌ FAIL status, no COA, or detectable Cat I = DO NOT CONSUME
Top G Farm Standard
Every batch we ship runs the full Cat I + Cat II + plant growth regulator panel. We publish all COAs at labs.topgfarm.shop — verify any batch before you smoke.
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