The advocacy group NORML sent an email urging people to advocate for the NJ Legislature pass a bill to improve cannabis lab testing standards.
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Assemblymembers Michael Inganamort (R-24-Sussex), Roy Freiman (D-16-Somerset), and Cody Miller (D-4-Gloucester) introduced the bill A 1291 to address the issue.
According to NORML, testing differences and financial incentives can lead to inflated THC reporting. It also leads to the underreporting of microbials like mold and fungi, pesticides, and heavy metals.
NJ Cannabis Product Safety Legislation
The bill requires the Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) establish a laboratory quality program to improve cannabis testing. It must establish:
- Cannabis lab requirements to ensure consistent and uniform testing.
- A framework for cannabis testing facilities to plan and assess work.
- Quality assurance and quality control procedures.
- Cannabis Testing Standards.
It would also require cannabis labs to have their testing methods approved by the CRC. Under the bill, they must hire experienced microbiologists and chemists to audit cannabis testing facilities. They also must approve testing methods developed by cannabis labs.
The bill also requires that the CRC, or a designee, conduct external audits of cannabis testing facilities.
Protecting NJ Cannabis Whistleblowers
The bill also requires the CRC to establish a whistleblower program. It must establish a toll-free phone hotline and an online portal for complaints. So, employees and contractors of cannabis businesses could submit complaints anonymously.
Heady NJ hears many rumors from workers too afraid to report the bad behavior of their employees.
In addition, the CRC will be required to investigate and audit whistleblowers’ complaints of cannabis businesses.
It also establishes criminal penalties for a cannabis testing facility that commits fraud.
A cannabis testing facility commits an offense if it:
- Sells, offers, or delivers an untested or noncompliant cannabis product.
- Falsifies results on potency, contaminants, or composition of a cannabis item.
- Issues a Certificate Of Analysis (COA) for a noncompliant cannabis item.
- Uses or possesses a false weight or measure, or any other device to determine or record cannabis quality falsely.
Penalties Imposed
If an audit finds a cannabis lab committed fraud, those harmed can sue them. If a court finds that they were hurt, it shall order the cannabis testing facility to pay three times the number of damages sustained, plus costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.
A first-time violation will be a disorderly persons offense. A second or third offense is a crime of the fourth degree. A disorderly person’s offense is punishable with 6 months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by 18 months in jail, a fine up to $10,000, or both.
Official NJ Cannabis Secret Shoppers Proposed
Furthermore, the bill requires the CRC to establish a secret shopper program. It would permit individuals to:
- Conduct anonymous checks on licensed cannabis facilities.
- Identify health and consumer safety issues in the cannabis market.
- Collect product samples for CRC laboratory analysis.
- Report on packaging and labeling requirements compliance.
- Ensure compliance with age and Point Of Sale (POS) requirements.
The bill also requires a cannabis business to maintain accurate lab testing reports and provide them to the CRC. The CRC will then provide them online. They must also be provided to customers upon request.
Improving Legal NJ Cannabis Standards
NORML Advocate Chris Goldstein praised the NJ Assembly Oversight Committee members for introducing this bill.
“We have bipartisan support, and there seems to be momentum for quick passage this year,” he explained.
Goldstein acknowledged that they need the necessary NJ Senate companion bill introduced for this to become law. He said they’re making progress. Goldstein praised the efforts of Trichome Analytical CEO Kristen Gooede and patient advocate Andrea Raible, which led to the bill’s introduction.
Longtime Legal NJ Cannabis Quality Concerns
These are widespread cannabis testing issues, unfortunately, in the legal industry, which a study revealed last July 2025.
Unfortunately, Heady NJ has heard rumors of mostly large Multi-State Operators (MSOs) cutting corners, hurting NJ cannabis quality for years.
The CRC adopted new cannabis rules last February 2025. But they withdrew them when the MSO-dominated NJ Cannabis Trade Association (NJCTA) complained. So, NJCTA was very happy they were withdrawn in March 2025.
In April 2025, a secret shopper program led by Raible revealed significant issues. So the CRC promised they would investigate them. By December 2025, they noted that companies paying for false positive results, known as lab shopping, is a problem they would continue investigating.
The CRC recently fined the Cannalytics lab in February 2026 for crossing state lines with state-legal weed, which is illegal.
