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A federal ban on intoxicating hemp products (THCA flower, vapes, gummies) takes effect November 12, 2026. What it means →

THCAVERDICT

Free download · COA worksheet

The 10-Point COA Checklist

The one-page checklist we run every vendor's lab report against before a dollar moves. Print it, hold any COA up to it, and the recycled paper, vendor-run labs, and math that doesn't add up surface in about two minutes. It won't tell you what to feel — it tells you whether the lab report is real.

What's inside

  • The batch-match test — the single fastest way to catch a recycled COA
  • The total-THC formula (THCA × 0.877 + Δ9) worked through on a real lab report
  • How to confirm a lab is accredited instead of taking the letterhead’s word for it
  • The red flags that end the conversation: no COA, vendor-run lab, expired paper
  • Batch number on the COA matches the batch on the bag or listing
  • The lab is a real, ISO/IEC 17025-accredited third party — not the vendor itself
  • Total THC checks out: THCA × 0.877 + Δ9 equals the number the vendor advertises
  • Test date is under 12 months old — cannabinoids degrade, old paper proves nothing
  • Δ9 THC is at or under 0.3% on a dry-weight basis — over that, it is not legal hemp
  • The COA is a full panel or says what was skipped — pesticides, heavy metals, microbials
  • The QR code or COA link resolves to the lab, not to a PDF hosted by the vendor
  • The product name and form on the COA match what you are actually buying
  • Percentages are not too round — a lab reports 24.63%, marketing writes 25%
  • The vendor publishes COAs for every current batch, not one flattering sample from last year