Potency

Potency, in product testing, is the measured concentration of active constituents, chiefly cannabinoids, in a sample of a product.

The term is borrowed from pharmacology, where it describes how much of a drug is needed for an effect, but on a certificate of analysis it simply means content. A potency panel lists each cannabinoid the laboratory tested for, usually as a percentage and as milligrams per gram, milliliter or unit, and then totals them. Total CBD and total THC include the acid forms with a conversion factor.

Reading the section means comparing the total CBD figure with the label claim for the same batch and checking the total THC figure against the product's stated THC content, which for some products is 0.0% THC. Regulators have found products on the market whose measured content was well above or below the label, which is why the figure matters. Potency describes what is in the container; it does not describe strength of effect, and a higher number is not a claim that a product does more.