Legend Technical Services, Inc.

For cannabis and hemp producers, harvest is just the beginning. The true test lies in the lab, where the result determines whether a product reaches the store shelves or faces costly setbacks.

Legend Technical Services, Inc. ensures quality at this decisive stage as a third-party testing laboratory. The women- and minority-owned business enterprise, with deep roots in environmental consulting and indoor air quality, ensures that products are free from contaminants and accurately labeled, with cannabinoid profiles and contaminant screenings verified through rigorous analysis.

It serves medical cannabis cultivators and manufacturers, hemp farmers, hemp-derived product producers, Tribal Nations and a growing number of recreational cannabis operators. The laboratories are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by A2LA for a range of analyses. This underscores its commitment to robust quality systems, validated methods and professionals who safeguard accuracy and compliance across all analyses.

“We strive to be more than a testing lab,” says Taylor Sanchez Schertler, project manager of the cannabis program. “Our goal is to help clients bring safe and fully compliant products to market.”

Staying compliant requires constant vigilance, and Legend stays current on every statute and regulation that affects hemp and cannabis testing at the federal, state and tribal levels. In Minnesota, regulations mandate screenings for pesticides, heavy metals and microbial contaminants, in addition to a variety of other analyses, each with strict pass-or-fail thresholds. Laboratories must precisely identify and quantify every compound within the limits. Clients rely on these results to remain compliant and ensure their products are safe and properly labeled.

Accuracy is maintained through rigorous processes that leave no margin for error. Calibration curves are performed for every instrument and method to ensure accurate quantification. Duplicate samples are analyzed to confirm consistency, and continuous verification checks guarantee results remain aligned with known standards. These processes ensure that every compound is correctly identified and precisely measured, producing results that are scientifically valid and defensible under the strictest regulatory scrutiny.

The same rigor is applied when results do not match client expectations. Clients often approach Legend to troubleshoot discrepancies or fine-tune their processes, highlighting its role beyond standard batch release testing. The support extends into research and development, where the team works closely with clients to review formulations. The company requests raw material samples, intermediates and conducts targeted analyses to uncover where problems originate.

In one instance, Legend’s testing revealed a potency gap in a batch of hemp-derived gummies. While the client aimed for each gummy to contain up to five milligrams of delta-9 THC, their batch measured only three milligrams per piece, considerably lower than intended. To identify the cause, it requested distillate samples, reviewed the client’s formulation and conducted additional analyses. Testing showed that the advertised cannabinoid profile of the distillate, provided by the manufacturer, did not match the actual cannabinoid profile of the distillate itself. Excessive processing temperatures had degraded delta-9 THC into other cannabinoids. With these findings, the client was able to refine processes and bring products into compliance.

Legend’s strength lies in the combined expertise of its leadership and team. Leadership maintains complete oversight of federal, state and tribal regulations, ensuring clear testing requirements and compliance standards for staff and clients. This knowledge is shared with a team of chemists with advanced degrees and prior laboratory experience. They are trained to look beyond procedures and understand the purpose behind each analysis. Guided by law, client needs and consumer safety, every sample is treated as a critical measure of market readiness.

Legend has built its reputation through robust knowledge of the science and regulations that shape the cannabis and hemp marketplace. Accredited methods and hands-on client support set it apart in an industry where testing is the measure of compliance and credibility. As the market evolves, the company is defining what it means for products to be safe, accurately represented and ready for the shelves of tomorrow.