(Photo credit: ShowGrow Long Beach).

California lawmakers have unanimously approved legislation giving state regulators new authority to obtain marijuana products directly from retail shelves for independent laboratory testing.

Assembly Bill 1965, introduced by Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins, passed the Assembly 73-0 in May before receiving final Senate approval in a 39-0 vote on August 20. The measure was presented to Governor Gavin Newsom on August 27 and is awaiting action.

Under the bill, marijuana retailers and other businesses authorized to make retail sales would be required to allow the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to obtain or access products held or offered for sale for the purpose of conducting off-the-shelf laboratory testing.

The change would give regulators an additional way to examine whether products already available to consumers match the results reported through California’s required compliance-testing system.

AB 1965 would also require retailers to provide customers, upon request, with the certificate of analysis associated with any marijuana product being held or offered for sale. Certificates of analysis contain laboratory results showing information such as cannabinoid content and whether tested contaminants fall within allowable limits.

The legislation would further subject licensed marijuana testing laboratories to performance testing by DCC to help ensure consistency between laboratories. Such evaluations could include blind proficiency testing, round-robin testing and other programs designed to determine whether laboratories are producing competent and consistent results.

The bill also clarifies that marijuana and marijuana products may be subject to testing or retesting and requires licensed laboratories to comply with department requests to evaluate their testing practices.

California law already requires marijuana products to undergo licensed laboratory testing before they can be sold, including testing for cannabinoid content and contaminants such as residual solvents, foreign material and microbiological impurities.

AB 1965 is now before Newsom, who can sign or veto the measure.