Testing weed for potency is great life insurance -- literally. That’s because you’ve really got to know how much THC (which is the active ingredient in marijuana) there is in that strain of weed you plan to pop.

Just because you know it’s Pink Stardust or a Satori doesn’t mean you don’t have to double check. Heck, your health’s on the line, so do the really smart thing and get one of those at-home, easy-to-use marijuana test kits.

They’re not cheap, but who wants to place a price on your health? Remember what grandma used to say while wagging a finger at you? “Prevention is better than cure.”

Prevention tip number 1: Make sure you get your cannabis from a legit dispensary. If you live in California, you’re in luck because the odds are excellent the weed you want has been lab-tested for both potency and purity.

If you're buying cannabis products online, you need to be more careful. Be sure to read online reviews and seek out information on quality standards. There are online review websites that can help you find the best products.

But what IF you grow your own? Or if you procured from suspicious sources?

Prevention tip number 2. When in doubt, use a test kit. Weed’s growing popularity (pun intended) means that some of the supply out there is bound to be suspect. And it doesn’t help knowing there’s a lot of untested cannabis in dispensaries.

Prevention tip number 3. Get your hands on an at-home test kit that does a lot more than reveal potency. Those that put a number on the exact amount of cannabinoids (CBD) are the best option for medical MJ users.

Here are four at-home testers that meet all the prevention tip criteria.

1. CB Scientific Test 4 Kit ($49.95). Works with flowers, extracts and oils. This kit can accurately detect both THC and CBD, which is great anytime.

Each kit contains 6 tests: three for THC and three for CBD. Results are determined by comparing your test vial color to a chart that comes with the kit. The downside is this tests tops out at 20 percent THC and 2.5 percent CBD. Bad if you’re testing Irish Cream.

2. Cannalytics Supply’s 16/20 THC kit ($99). This introductory kit contains 20 tests and is the basic model out of several professional testing kits. It contains a science kit for testing cannabis using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). These kits work with flowers, hash and edibles. It won’t work on products containing glycerin.

These kits are great for getting a read on CBD levels but won’t indicate purity. For those with compromised immune systems or severe illness, it’s important to ensure your cannabis is free from pests, mold, mildew and chemicals.

3. Alpha-Cat Regular Test Kit. One of the most common weed testing kits, it also uses TLC to access a visual representation of the cannabis content in a sample. It works on a range of products, such as resins, tinctures, edibles and concentrates.

4. MyDx Analyzer. This more sophisticated and portable kit consists of a smartphone app and a cannabis-specific sensor. This multi-use chemical analyzer tests the potency and safety of cannabis samples. Its specific tool, CannaDx, tests the percentage of THC, CBD, CBN, plus over 20 terpenes and provides a complete chemical analysis of your weed.

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