Buying cannabis: agree product specifications before ordering and testing

Which goods are needed, and for what purpose?

Start with the product type and processing condition. What is actually being offered or purchased? Record intended use, quantity and relevant packaging units. A trade name alone does not answer these questions. Distinguish an identified batch from an enquiry about future production. In the latter case, the specific batch connection remains unresolved initially.

Give the specification a version and date. Record the information requested by the buyer and what the producer has actually confirmed. Sending an unchecked wish list does not make it a jointly approved basis. Origin, condition and quantity should match the actual goods; reference the supporting records available.

Separate product descriptions from requirements

Distinguish descriptive information from criteria for a later decision. For each criterion, identify its origin: an internal preference, a proposed agreement or a product-specific requirement supported by a reference. A buyer preference is not automatically law; a voluntary agreement does not replace applicable requirements. Mark unconfirmed provisions as drafts.

Define each parameter so the producer and laboratory understand it consistently. Add its unit and reporting basis, such as material in the condition examined or dry matter. Do not insert numbers whose meaning or basis remains unresolved. A sum parameter needs its definition as well. The worksheet contains no preset cannabis limits.

• Parameter and any definition of a sum
• Unit and agreed reporting basis
• Criterion, origin and supporting reference
• Status: proposed, confirmed or requiring clarification

What evidence should answer the requirements?

Assign intended evidence to each requirement. A laboratory report, an origin record and a quantity confirmation serve different purposes. Record the property actually examined and what the evidence does not establish. Adding a cannabinoid profile to a specification does not make it a comprehensive contaminant assessment.

Discuss the actual testing scope instead of adopting only a package name. Which substances or groups, matrix and condition are involved? Missing evidence remains an unresolved question rather than an assumed favourable result. If a sample is to represent a quantity, establish that relationship in advance. The specification itself does not make an individual sample representative.

Define the quantity a sample should represent ↗

What to agree with the laboratory in advance

Provide the specific question and proposed criteria. Ask whether the matrix, method, reporting basis and reporting limits fit the task. A conclusion is not possible simply because a parameter appears in a service catalogue. Clarify the service and its limitations.

Distinguish a measurement from a commissioned statement about meeting a specification. In the ISO/IEC 17025 context, ILAC G8 explains that a requested conformity statement needs a defined specification and decision rule; where not already prescribed, the rule is agreed with the customer. Eurachem addresses consideration of measurement uncertainty. Do not select a rule after seeing the result or subtract uncertainty yourself. Such a statement concerns the agreed scope, not automatically the product’s entire legal marketability.

Discuss unclear findings and changes beforehand

As editorial preparation, agree who will handle missing information, unclear findings or deviations and which records they need. Incomplete evidence is not automatically a pass or a fail. Technical assessment and business decisions belong to the responsible people. A further examination should answer a defined question, not seek a more favourable number.

If product, quantity, processing or requirements change, record the applicable version and what needs confirmation again. Separate technical criteria from price, quantity basis, delivery and additional costs. In Switzerland, product category and intended use require separate consideration; rules for one category must not simply be applied to others. This worksheet replaces neither that classification nor any necessary authorisation.

Your shared product specification worksheet

Use one worksheet for a specific purchasing case. Enter requirement or description in the first column, planned evidence in the second, and question, responsible contact and confirmation in the last. For several parameters, create separate entries in your documentation so units and criteria are not mixed. Identify missing information explicitly.

Retain confirmed versions with dates and supporting record references. The form brings information together; it does not send an enquiry or conclude an agreement. Entries stay locally in the browser without automatic saving. Copy the worksheet before leaving the page. It is a working basis between buyer, producer and laboratory, not an automatic release decision or quality certificate.

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