In an effort to address a variety of concerns that have arisen over the past several years related to "lab shopping" for the most favorable cannabis test results, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (the "Commission") issued an administrative order last month that imposes new requirements for the compliant testing of marijuana and marijuana products produced and sold in the Commonwealth.
This article provides an overview of the new testing requirements based on the information we have at this time from the Commission's Administrative Order No. 4 (the "Order"). Additional guidance from the Commission is expected to be issued in the coming weeks, but it is crucial for licensed marijuana businesses and especially Independent Testing Laboratories (ITLs) in Massachusetts to be aware of the new requirements and to begin taking the necessary steps to ensure compliance.
Currently, no regulations or protocols explicitly prevent licensees from submitting marijuana product test samples to several different ITLs to test for different components of the required compliance panel under normal circumstances.
Once the Order goes into effect on April 1, 2025, a licensed medical and adult-use cannabis business will be required to submit "Test Sample Packages" to one Independent Testing Laboratory for all compliance testing of marijuana and marijuana products.
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