A federal agency has published a new report that aims to assist state marijuana officials in developing standards for scales used in the sale of cannabis products.
The 31-page document, published late last month by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), notes that “with the legalization of Cannabis in many States, the suitability of the scales used in the sale of Cannabis products becomes increasingly important.”
“Cannabis products are unique in that they have distinct properties from traditional commodities that are subject to weights and measures regulations, such as grocery products, precious metals, and gems,” it says.
The report details what NIST believes to be the five most relevant aspects of scales involved in marijuana sales.
“These scale characteristics include the accuracy classification, the value of the verification scale interval, the monetary value per scale division, auxiliary indication, and the minimum capacity and recommended minimum load,” it says.
When it comes to accuracy classification, the NIST report notes that while it may be reasonable to conclude that scales used for marijuana should be of accuracy Class II because cannabis products “are high-value commodities like precious metals and gems,” the effect of air buoyancy and varying moisture levels “may not justify” the use such high-precision instruments with strict error margins.
“Jurisdictions should consider this duality when determining the proper accuracy class for scales used in the sale of Cannabis products,” it says.
With respect to monetary value per scale division, NIST says its handbook currently has no requirement on the topic. “If desired, such a requirement could be implemented as a User Requirement for all commodities (or all high-value commodities) to avoid being arbitrary towards Cannabis products,” the report says.
For auxiliary indications, which allow higher resolution digits for more precise weighing, NIST said it is a “useful feature that extends the weighing range at the low end” but that it could potentially confuse some consumers.
The value of the verification scale interval, minimum capacity and recommended minimum load are interrelated, the report explains.
“The recommended minimum load (or minimum capacity) implicitly sets an upper limit on the verification scale interval,” it says. “A separate requirement for a maximum value of the verification scale interval, applied only to scales used for the sale of Cannabis products, appears arbitrary (since there is no such requirement for other high-value commodities in NIST Handbook 44). It also undermines the purpose of the recommended minimum load requirement.”
While NIST stresses in the report that it does not promote specific recommendations for states when it comes to requirements for scales used to measure cannabis, its analysis is meant to provide “objective information” that regulators can use to act on the issue.
“These conclusions are intended to clarify the discussion and help regulators and other stakeholders develop a set of requirements for scales used in the sale of Cannabis products, based on scientific analysis.”
To reach the report’s conclusions, NIST officials examined “real-world data” on scales that are being used to weigh cannabis in nine states.
The new document represents the latest in a series of cannabis-related projects for the federal agency.
Last month NIST announced that it added dozens of new marijuana components to an official government library of compounds that is used to help identify unknown substances in food, drugs, cosmetics, the environment, body fluids and forensic evidence.
In 2025, NIST hosted a workshop aimed at facilitating “an open and candid discussion” about the development and implementation of technology to test a person’s breath for marijuana impairment.
Also last year, researchers with the agency said they made the first-ever detection of THC in human breath following the consumption of infused edibles—a possible step forward in terms of field testing for cannabis impairment.
NIST has also published a series of reports as part of a project called the Cannabis Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (CannaQAP).
Meanwhile, NIST has made a series of updates to an industry standardization handbook it publishes as a result of cannabis-related stances adopted by the National Conference of Weights and Measures.
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