Cannabis that has been tested by a lab takes the mystery out of what you are actually consuming. It doesn’t mean that your high will be stale or predictable. Rather, it significantly reduces the likelihood that you are going to have an unfavorable experience, particularly with edibles.
The concern with non-lab tested edibles (speaking from experience) is that the amount of THC in any particular piece that you are consuming may be inconsistent, regardless of what the packaging tells you. If a THC chocolate bar (theoretically) contains 100 mg. of THC and they aren’t evenly distributed across the piece of chocolate, then you could be in for a very rude awakeing if you eat a piece containing a disproportionate amount of THC.
With flower, unless there’s a mold or a pesticide issue, there’s less opportunity for things to take a bad turn. While buying flower that hasn’t been tested by a lab may be riskier than buying flower that has (been tested), it’s still not usually a problem. You may not know the potency of it, but it’s likely a manageable situation.
You may recall a few years back that there was a big issue and lots of press about people getting sick from THC vape cartridges. Guess what … .the ones making people sick were non-lab tested and harmful because of the ingredients that were included, in addition to cannabis extract.
To summarize, here are a few reasons to stick with lab tested cannabis whenever possible.
Purity and Safety: Lab certification can verify that the cannabis product is free from contaminants such as mold, mildew, pesticides, heavy metals, or other harmful substances.
Potency: Lab testing can provide accurate information on the levels of cannabinoids (like THC and CBD) in the product.
Terpene Profile: Labs can also test for terpenes, the compounds responsible for the aroma and flavor of cannabis and its “elevating” effects. Educated older stoners can choose products based on their terpene profile to try and attain the desired effects.
Consistency: Lab tests ensure that you are getting a consistent product each time. That’s great as nobody (that I’ve encountered) seeks out a bad THC episode.