Glossary
Pesticide panel
Updated:
A pesticide panel screens a hemp product for residues of insecticides, fungicides, miticides and plant growth regulators. Few pesticides are registered for hemp, so any detection is a problem. Labs use LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS to test for dozens of compounds, with analyte lists and limits set state by state.
Pesticides reach hemp the same way they reach any crop: sprayed during cultivation, carried over from neighboring fields, or applied late in flowering when growers face mites or mold. Because extraction concentrates everything fat soluble, a residue that is minor in flower can be significant in a distillate.
A 2022 study of state cannabis regulations found that insecticides made up the largest share of pesticide-related detections, followed by fungicides and miticides, and that the list of pesticides each state requires labs to screen for varies widely (Jameson 2022). A 2026 review confirms that analyte lists, limits and method validation requirements still differ by jurisdiction (Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2026).
Testing uses tandem mass spectrometry. Liquid chromatography covers most modern pesticides; gas chromatography covers older and more volatile ones. The lab extracts the sample, cleans it up to remove cannabinoids and lipids that interfere, and compares each target compound against a calibration standard.
A certificate of analysis should list every pesticide screened, not just a pass. A short list with a pass is weaker evidence than a long list with results and limits.
Sources
- Comparison of State-Level Regulations for Cannabis Contaminants and Implications for Public Health (Environ Health Perspect, 2022) PubMed (accessed 2026-10-13)
- Cannabis Products and Contaminant Detection: Critical Review of Regulatory Oversight and Analytical Methodologies (Cannabis Cannabinoid Res, 2026) PubMed (accessed 2026-10-13)