Louisiana Hemp Label COA Requirements: the "No Google Drive" Rule
Louisiana doesn't just require a QR code or URL on consumable hemp labels — the Department of Health spells out where that link is allowed to go. The certificate of analysis has to be provided directly, and LDH's own guidance explicitly says the link may not point to a Google Drive or any other file-sharing program. If your COA lives in a Drive folder today, your label is the kind of thing an inspector flags.
What LDH actually says
Louisiana's consumable hemp program requires every product to be registered with LDH before sale, and its label requirements are published in the department's official guidance (implementing La. Admin. Code tit. 49, § I-519). On the COA link specifically, LDH's Label Requirements page says, verbatim:
"Certificate of Analysis must be directly provided through the URL or the QR code; the QR code or URL may not link to a google drive (or other file displaying program) containing the file. If the URL/QR code takes you to a firm's website, the COA must be placed so that it is easily seen on the website."
Source: Louisiana Department of Health, Label Requirements (fetched July 2026).
The full label checklist
The COA link is one item on a longer list. Per the same LDH guidance, a Louisiana consumable hemp label must include:
- Statement of identity — "cannabidiol" alone isn't sufficient; an extract, isolate, or tincture must say so, on the part of the label a shopper actually sees on the shelf
- Net quantity — in both U.S. and metric units (fluid measure for liquids, weight for solids; solids need "Net," "net wt." or "net weight")
- Ingredients in descending weight order — flavorants marked artificial/natural, "cannabinoids" alone insufficient (specify extract/isolate/distillate), and terpenes listed individually
- Responsible party declaration — firm name matching your Secretary of State registration, full street address with zip; "Manufactured for" or "Distributed by" when a co-packer makes the product
- Allergens named specifically — "tree nut" won't suffice; name the almond, name the flounder
- Nutrition facts — FDA-approved nutrients only; cannabinoids are not nutrients and don't belong in the panel, which must sit separate from the ingredients list
- The QR code or website URL to the COA — directly provided, per the quote above
- Serving size — and if the product contains THC, the amount of THC per serving
- A unique UPC/SKU
- Adult-use identification — any product over 0.5 mg total THC per package must be identified as adult-use on the label
And the prohibited list: no medical claims ("for sleep," "melatonin," "for digestion," "cure," "treat," "heal," "relieve," "pain," and similar are LDH's own examples) and nothing suggesting the product is a dietary supplement.
Why the "directly provided" wording matters in practice
Louisiana registers products, not just companies — the state keeps a public registry of every registered consumable hemp product, batch by brand. A brand with dozens of registered SKUs has dozens of labels, each needing a compliant COA link that keeps working for as long as that product sits on a shelf.
The failure mode is always the same: the COA gets uploaded somewhere convenient — a Drive folder, a page on the website — and the link gets printed. Then the website gets redesigned, the folder gets reorganized, the file gets replaced with a newer lab report, and the printed link either dies or points somewhere the inspector considers "not easily seen." Once units are printed, there's no fixing it without a relabel.
What the rule is really asking for is a stable, dedicated page per batch that shows the COA immediately — no file-share interstitial, no hunting.
A permanent, direct COA page for every batch
BatchLink gives each batch one permanent URL + printable QR that opens the COA directly — one click, no Drive, no login. Swap the certificate behind it anytime (a retest, a corrected report) without changing the printed link. Free for your first two batches.
Create a free batch pageRelated reading
- State-by-state hemp QR/COA label requirements — where Louisiana fits among the other mandate states
- Texas's URL requirement — the neighboring rule, and how it differs
- What is a COA? — the document itself, in plain English
- How to make a COA QR code
This page summarizes LDH's published guidance as of July 2026 in plain English. It isn't legal advice; requirements change, and LDH's current published guidance and the Louisiana Administrative Code control. Verify against the LDH Label Requirements page before a print run.