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Taylor Sanchez Schertler, Project Manager of the Cannabis ProgramLegend 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.
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We strive to be more than a testing lab. Our goal is to help clients bring safe and fully compliant products to market
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.
Choosing Cannabis Laboratory Services Under Expanding Compliance Pressure
A failed cannabis test rarely traces back to one bad batch. More often, the problem begins upstream, when cultivators or manufacturers work from inconsistent distillates, incomplete potency data or production assumptions that no longer hold up under tighter state oversight. The financial hit arrives later. Inventory gets delayed, labels need revision or products fail release testing after packaging has already been completed.
Laboratory procurement has become more intertwined with production planning than many operators expected a few years ago. Reporting delays can interrupt retail schedules tied to harvest cycles or product launches. Weak analytical controls create a different kind of exposure. A laboratory that cannot consistently quantify cannabinoids at required thresholds may leave manufacturers defending disputed labels or resubmitting products for additional review.
ISO 17025 accreditation still matters, though buyers have become more skeptical of laboratories that treat accreditation as the end of the conversation. The stronger providers tend to show discipline inside the testing process itself. Calibration verification, duplicate sample analysis and method validation carry practical weight because cannabis products behave differently across concentrates, gummies and raw flower. Results that drift between batches create tension quickly, especially when regulators, manufacturers and retail distributors are all working from the same certificate of analysis.
The relationship between cannabis businesses and testing laboratories has also become more involved than routine batch release work. Product manufacturers increasingly expect laboratories to help identify where formulation problems originate. Hemp-derived THC products illustrate the issue clearly. Distillates purchased from outside suppliers do not always match advertised cannabinoid concentrations, which can throw off finished dosage calculations before production teams realize there is a discrepancy. Heat exposure during manufacturing can further alter cannabinoid composition. Laboratories that can investigate those inconsistencies at the source tend to become more embedded in a client’s production process.
Regulatory fragmentation continues to complicate purchasing decisions. Hemp statutes, recreational cannabis rules and tribal regulations do not always align cleanly across jurisdictions. Product teams entering new markets often need guidance before samples are even submitted for testing. Laboratories that stay current on state-specific contaminant thresholds or required testing panels reduce confusion early in the release process and help clients avoid unnecessary retesting cycles.
Staffing remains an underexamined factor in cannabis testing procurement. Sample preparation, instrument calibration and analytical review still depend heavily on laboratory judgment. Facilities built around throughput alone can struggle when unexpected potency results appear or manufacturers need deeper troubleshooting support. Technical teams that understand the reasoning behind regulatory requirements generally provide more useful interpretation when manufacturing variables begin affecting final results.
Within that environment, Legend Technical Services presents a measured fit for cannabis and hemp manufacturers managing both compliance obligations and formulation consistency. Its laboratory work covers cannabinoid potency testing, contaminant screening and ISO 17025-aligned analysis. The stronger distinction comes from its emphasis on investigative support tied to manufacturing irregularities, including cannabinoid degradation and mislabeled source distillates. The company also maintains close attention to changing federal, state and tribal cannabis statutes, giving clients clearer direction on required testing scopes before products move into regulated channels.
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Company : Legend Technical Services, Inc.
ManagementTaylor Sanchez Schertler, Project Manager of the Cannabis Program
