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Maryland Department of Agriculture

Authorized Hemp Testing Laboratory Qualifications

  • To be authorized to test official compliance samples of Hemp for the Maryland Hemp Farming Program, a laboratory must be DEA Registered or Accredited to ISO17025:2017 
  • Report Total THC. Total THC. Total THC is the value determined after the process of decarboxylation, or the application of a conversion factor if the testing methodology does not include decarboxylation, that expresses the potential total delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol content derived from the sum of the THC and THCA content and reported on a dry weight basis. This postdecarboxylation value of THC can be calculated by using a chromatograph technique using heat, such as gas chromatography, through which THCA is converted from its acid form to its neutral form, THC. Thus, this test calculates the total potential THC in a given sample. The total THC can also be calculated by using a liquid chromatograph technique, which keeps the THCA intact. This technique requires the use of the following conversion: [Total THC = (0.877 x THCA) + THC] which calculates the potential total THC in a given sample.
  • USDA Testing Guidelines - PDF 
  • Authorized laboratories must:
    • Carbon copy the Maryland Department of Agriculture on all test results
    • Enter test results on the USDA eHemp eManagement Platform (HeMP) 
    • Mail test results to: 
      Turf and Seed Maryland Department of Agriculture
      50 Harry S Truman Parkway
      Annapolis, MD 21617
      Or email: [email protected]