The chairman of the Michigan Senate’s Health Policy and Human Services Committee is calling for tighter controls on the state’s medical marijuana testing labs.
Sen. Curt VanderWall, R-Ludington, issued a statement this week after state regulators recently suspended the license of a testing lab over unreliable results.
“There have been too many recalls and headlines about marijuana products tainted with mold, pesticides and other dangerous chemicals, and we cannot depend solely on testing facilities to make sure products are safe for human consumption," VanderWall said in a statement.
State regulators suspended the license of Iron Laboratories in Walled Lake on Aug. 16, claiming the lab passed several marijuana products that actually had failed to meet state standards. The investigation into the lab is ongoing. Lab President Rob Teitel denied the allegations and believes they’ll regain their license.
Earlier in August, regulators warned the public that another medical marijuana lab -- The Spott in Kalamazoo -- was also under investigation for inaccurately reporting results.
VanderWall said he doesn’t think new laws are needed -- just better enforcement.
“We’ve allowed to things to get a little out of control and we haven’t kept our thumb on them,” VanderWall said to MLive of the recent investigations into testing labs. “We need to be on top of it, and make sure we ensure safety for the Michigan citizens.”
Marijuana Regulatory Agency officials declined to comment for this story.
There are six safety compliance facilities that are licensed by the state to test medical marijuana products to see if they contain potentially harmful levels of mold, pesticides or heavy metals, as well as to see if the products contain the amount of THC that is marketed to the consumer.
Earlier this year the Marijuana Regulatory Agency issued a number of recalls of medical marijuana products that had failed testing for heavy metals, pesticides, mold and E. coli. The products were all grown by caregivers, who were allowed to directly supply the licensed and regulated medical market for a short period of time without being subject to state testing standards.
Once state testing was required of caregiver product earlier this year, much of it failed to meet state standards for safety and quality. Under current state regulations, caregivers are still allowed to supply marijuana to the regulated commercial medical market -- but it has to be funneled through a licensed or grower or processor who must submit it to state testing.
-- Amy Biolchini is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact her with questions, tips or comments at abiolch1@mlive.com. Read more from MLive about medical and recreational marijuana.
