Michigan marijuana regulators are pushing lawmakers to give them explicit authority to collect, possess, and test cannabis for regulatory purposes at a yet-to-be-built, state-run laboratory, a move that is generating opposition from an existing private lab.
The establishment of a government-controlled marijuana laboratory, which would be staffed by five full-time state employees, would allow the Cannabis Regulatory Agency to bring testing operations in-house that have largely been farmed out to private, licensed testing facilities during investigations, state officials said.
"No unbiased, third-party testing lab currently exists in Michigan to provide objective standards for licensed safety compliance facilities to follow," said David Harns, a spokesman for the Cannabis Regulatory Agency. "The reference lab will assist in industry standardization by optimizing and verifying standard methods and will improve oversight of the cannabis industry by enhancing audit and investigative capabilities."
The legislation, which has yet to move from the House Regulatory Reform Committee, would need support from a three-fourths majority in the House and Senate — a threshold meant to make it more difficult for lawmakers to amend a voter-initiated law. The legislation has the support of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association.
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