Cannabis testing is beneficial for a healthy product.

"I remember watching the television series Weeds for the first time, do you know which one I am talking about? The one with Mary Louise Parker and that guy from Saturday Night Live? Well I remember watching one episode where that guy from SNL got a medical marijuana card and he took Nancy (that's Mary Louise Parker's character) to the dispensary. I had never seen such a thing and I had no idea how that ever could be possible! All of that weed in all of those forms in one place? It seems like they had to be breaking some kind of law. I grew up in a state that severely criminalized weed so I was definitely thrown off."

Steve Jones chuckled to himself and he remembered his days of watching Weeds and really being culture shocked by all that was in there.

"You know what's interesting though now that you can buy recreational marijuana legally? There are so many regulations that are in place that weren't there when people like Nancy, yes I know she's not real - it's too bad really, were selling it on the streets, if you will. But it really is a good thing. Did you know there are many different substances that marijuana should be tested for?"

The interviewer confessed they weren't aware of the different substances and urged jovial Steve to convey all that he knew about the subject.

"Well, take for example pesticides. We talk a lot about pesticides and our food but we don't think about things like cannabis. Cannabis testing for pesticides is a serious issue that we should all consider. You can't really buy organic weed, at least not yet, and so we need to be mindful about how the weed is grown just like our food. There are marijuana testing labs that actually take the time to make sure that there are no pesticides present in the crops that various dispensaries are putting out there for people to buy."

What are some other things that cannabis needs to be tested for?

"Yes, well there is also the presence of heavy metals in soil where the cannabis is grown that needs to be considered. It is really important to make sure that there is no arsenic, lead or cadmium in soil to just name a few. They also test cannabis for residual solvents."

Residual solvents? What is that?

"Yeah of course, well when you get things like hash oil or wax you have to extract that substance using cannabis science by using things like butane or propane to separate it out. Of course if butane and propane is ingested that is not a good thing. So cannabis testing labs will actually make sure these harmful substances are no longer left in the product that people will be consuming."

That is a relief indeed. Anything else?

"Well, cannabis testing can even include testing for harsh toxins like Aflatoxins too. Really marijuana testing companies can test for a number of things and it's incredible necessary for the safety of all people involved. I have certainly grown a lot since my Nancy Botwin days."