Pot board considering 2 testing labs’ licenses tomorrow

The Cannabis Control Commission will consider license applications for the first two independent testing labs at its meeting tomorrow, a critical piece of the newly legal weed industry.

Under state law, no marijuana can be sold to consumers unless it has been tested by an approved, independent lab. The CCC has approved provisional license applications for retail and cultivation facilities, but has not yet approved a lab application.

Tomorrow, the fivemember commission will consider the applications of two labs, MCR Labs and CDX Analytics, according to a CCC agenda. Both labs already test medical marijuana, and are not expected to require significant time to begin operations, though there is no clear time frame.

The absence of a licensed lab has been a glaring omission as the CCC works through licensing an entire industry, but no licensees have been granted a final license, which is required before they can begin operations.

“Labs are absolutely critical to the development of the industry,” said Michael Dundas, chief executive of Sira Naturals, which received a provisional cultivation license earlier this summer. “By the time a cannabis company is ready to sell cannabis product to the public, we will have a licensed lab ready and able to test that product.”

Yesterday, CCC commissioner Shaleen Title wrote on Twitter the lab issue would be dealt with.

“Oh look at that, labs are on the agenda, you all can chill the hell out,” she wrote.