Lab tests conducted on smokable weed, edible candies and vaporizers purchased from 20 smoke shops and dispensaries detected prohibited levels of eight different contaminants, including E. coli, salmonella, nickel and lead. The survey also found that the strength of some products was mislabeled, according to the report from the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association, a state trade group.

The association, which represents licensed medical dispensary operators in New York, said the findings underscored concerns raised by elected officials and regulators about the danger posed by the unbridled growth of retail stores across the state that falsely claim their products are legal.

Currently, legal cannabis sales in New York are only available to patients at 38 medical dispensaries operated by the association’s members. But the report comes on the heels of regulators awarding 36 of the state’s first retail dispensary licenses earlier in November. Regulators have said that legal sales of recreational cannabis would begin in December.

“Just as the Empire State is poised to achieve that significant goal,” the industry association said in the report, “new illicit operators have sprung up, latching on to the coattails of the respected pre-existing legacy market and threatening both public health and safety and the long-term success of legal operators.”

Medical dispensary operators have long expressed frustration about being shut out of New York’s retail market while illicit storefronts operated without regulation and with impunity. The report amounts to an attempt to add pressure to the authorities to curtail illicit sales as the medical industry seeks changes to proposed regulations that would required them to pay a minimum of $3 million to enter the retail market.

The underlying lab results show that the tests were authorized by Curaleaf, a national chain with four locations in New York that has faced fines, lawsuits and product recalls across at least five states, as well as a license suspension in Oregon.

Curaleaf defended the company’s reputation in a statement to The New York Times, noting that the Oregon suspension was a first for the chain in its 12 years of operation. That the incident, which involved products that were mislabeled, was discovered proved that oversight of the industry was working, a top spokeswoman said, and regulators had noted the company’s cooperation.

“There are no such checks and balances for the illegal market in New York or any other state,” she said.

The Times obtained the underlying lab reports for the tests, but has not independently verified any of the test results. Experts advised caution in interpreting the findings, noting that bacteria die when incinerated for smoking and that some metals and pesticides are considered safe in trace amounts. Both city officials and cannabis regulators have said they are reviewing the report.

In all, the tests revealed contaminants in 16 items out of a total of 40 products. Nine contained less THC — the intoxicating compound in cannabis — than their labels advertised. But one type of gummy whose label suggested it had a potency of 100 milligrams of THC per piece was actually twice that strong, according to the analysis.

The most common contaminants were E. coli and salmonella, which were detected in nine items, mostly loose flower and prerolled joints. State regulations prohibit cannabis products tainted by E. coli and salmonella from being sold to consumers. Both types of bacteria can cause infections that generally result in diarrhea, vomiting, fever and cramps. Severe cases can be life-threatening.

None of the products tested met New York’s standards, said Michael Bianco, the president of Talon Analytical, a state-licensed lab. The company, which counts most of the medical cannabis companies as clients, ran the tests on the illicit products.