The Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC) issued a new Technical Advisory (2026-011) specifying allowable weight variances for both bulk raw plant material and lab samples. This advisory complements OMC’s prior guidance for licensees to maintain, calibrate, inspect, and annually certify weighing devices in accordance with 915 KAR 1:030 and 1:040.
The advisory clarifies OMC’s interpretation of multiple provisions in 915 KAR Chapter 1—including 915 KAR 1:030 § 9(1), 1:040 § 4(4), 1:060 § 12(2), and 1:070 § 12(2)—and sets variance thresholds that apply during transfers and audits. OMC emphasizes that packages or samples outside these thresholds are compliance failures subject to enforcement.
Variance Thresholds
- Bulk raw plant material intended for finished goods or extraction: 10 grams (max variance). A package that reads 9,011 g during audit when recorded at 9,000 g would be a compliance failure.
- Lab samples: 5% (max variance). A 10 g sample received at 11 g exceeds the 5% tolerance and would be a compliance failure.
A receiving licensee must reject any transfer that arrives outside the applicable variance, and any package found outside these limits during an OMC inspection will be treated as a compliance failure with potential enforcement under 915 KAR 1:020, Section 12.
Licensees should ensure they have sufficient inventory controls, verify scale calibration, and document chain-of-custody weights at each transfer to ensure variances stay within the 10 g and 5% thresholds described above.
In parallel, licensees must follow the scale certification requirements by engaging a Kentucky Department of Agriculture–recognized service company to inspect, calibrate, and certify each scale at least annually and ensuring certification decals are current and certificates are renewed within their one-year limits. Licensees must maintain calibration, maintenance, and cleaning records and make this documentation available to state officials upon request.
If you have questions about implementing these requirements, aligning your SOPs with applicable regulations, and/or preparing for inspections or audits, please reach out to the Dentons team for assistance.
