Start with the condition of the material actually examined
Request the complete report in its valid version, including appendices. Record the sample identifier, batch reference, sampling date and description of the material tested. Separate what the report explicitly states from additional explanations supplied by the seller. An analysis date does not describe earlier storage or establish when a later processing step occurred.
Write down your current question: are you comparing composition, assessing an agreed specification or preparing a purchase? Check whether the measured parameters address that question at all. A cannabinoid result does not automatically cover other properties. Reconstructing the timeline complements reading the findings; it does not replace missing parameters or a technical assessment.
Check the sample reference and the report’s limits ↗Trace storage and transport since sampling
Ask for a timeline: where was the relevant quantity held, in which containers and under what documented conditions? Include known transport stages, openings, repacking and reported deviations. Give references for the available records. Missing information remains explicitly unknown; a plausible account must not be entered retrospectively as an established fact.
The Eurachem quality guide emphasises preserving sample identity and integrity during handling. Our editorial application to procurement is to ask whether the path between the tested material and today’s goods can be traced. This is not a general cannabis storage instruction. Whether particular conditions affect a particular property needs assessment for the matrix, parameter and period concerned.
Treat processing steps as separate questions
Record drying, grinding, mixing, extraction or other documented operations with their dates, starting material, resulting quantity and responsible party. These examples are prompts for your record, not evidence that any particular change has occurred. Distinguish a packaging change from an operation that produces a different material or composition.
Attaching a report on starting flowers to an extract does not turn it into an analysis of that extract. Ask the supplier and laboratory which statements can be applied to the current material and which remain unsupported. Do not estimate missing results using a processing factor you have chosen yourself. Where quantities have been combined, their origins and relationships also need to remain traceable.
Connect the product and batch through traceable records ↗The same batch number does not establish the same basis for interpretation
A code helps connect records, but does not tell the whole material history. Compare the quantity documented at sampling with the quantity now offered. Clarify subdivisions, new packaging units and links between old and new identifiers. If the history has a gap, describe that gap instead of inferring continuity from the label alone.
A report may continue to document the sample examined at the time while its application to today’s goods remains unresolved. Equally, an older date does not automatically make a result unusable for every question. This guide therefore sets no universal validity period. Any evidence specified by a contract or an applicable product-specific rule needs separate examination.
Define the unresolved question before arranging another test
Describe the property that is not sufficiently supported for your decision. Ask the responsible specialist for a reasoned assessment of the current material and existing report. A next step might be additional documentation, a laboratory explanation or a targeted examination agreed in advance. The record does not decide which response is sufficient.
If new material is to be tested, establish the quantity the sample should represent first. A retained sample does not automatically represent goods changed afterwards. Agree sampling, acceptance, parameters, method and assessment basis before dispatch. Distinguish measurement from legal classification: in Switzerland, requirements and responsibilities depend on the product category and intended use. An analysis is not a general authorisation to sell.
Establish the quantity a sample should represent ↗Your change record for the supplier and laboratory
Complete one record for a specific case. Place the initial and current conditions side by side and enter each relevant step with its supporting record reference. For several operations or subdivisions, create further records in your own documentation. Identify supplier statements as such and record who will address the technical question.
Log the response, date, responsible party and remaining limitations. ‘Information not received’ is an open point, not confirmation of unchanged quality. You can complete the table locally and copy it as text; it sends nothing and does not save entries automatically. Retain your work before leaving the page. The result is a traceable basis for questions, not an automatic release decision or assurance of marketability.
Prepare a targeted laboratory enquiry ↗Editorial aid, not an automatic release decision. Only in your browser, with no transmission or automatic saving. Retain your entries before leaving the page. On small screens, scroll the table sideways.
| Check | Documented initial condition | Current condition / change | Evidence / question / clarification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report number, version and sample identifier | |||
| Batch reference and associated quantity | |||
| Sampling date and condition examined | |||
| Product type and quantity currently offered | |||
| Storage and transport: period and conditions | |||
| Packaging, opening or repacking: date | |||
| Processing or mixing: date, material and quantity | |||
| Potentially affected property: question for assessment | |||
| Responsible contact and agreed next step | |||
| Response, supporting record, date and remaining limitation |
FAQ
Does every cannabis laboratory report have the same expiry period?
This guide sets no universal period. Review the documented condition, current question and any relevant contractual or product-specific requirements. The report’s age alone does not settle that assessment.
Does every repacking step require retesting?
No blanket requirement is asserted here. Document the step and establish whether identity, condition or the property relevant to your decision could be affected. Determine the necessary action with the responsible specialists.
Editorial guidance, not individual legal advice, laboratory services or product release. No review by an external laboratory is claimed.
Sources & context
Sources checked on .
- Sources checked on 5 November 2026. Eurachem addresses sampling, sample integrity and handling; the Swiss implementation guide supports product classification. No universal report validity period, storage period or automatic retesting requirement is inferred. The workflow and change record are original editorial aids, not a validated testing procedure, legal advice or product release.
- V. Barwick and K. C. Tsimillis (Eds), Eurachem/CITAC: Guide to Quality in Analytical Chemistry: An Aid to Accreditation. Fourth edition, 2026, sections 18–19.
- Eurachem / EUROLAB / CITAC / Nordtest / AMC: Measurement uncertainty arising from sampling: a guide to methods and approaches. Second edition, 2019, with published errata.
- Swissmedic / FOPH / FSVO: Products containing cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoids that are not subject to narcotics legislation – Overview and implementation guide. Version 8.0, 1 May 2025.