Inside Michigan's Push For State-Owned Cannabis Testing Facility

Cannabis regulators in Michigan are urging state legislators to pass a new bill that would grant the state's Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) the ultimate power to establish and operate a state-run testing facility to ensure compliance within the industry.

The CRA has been pushing for this for nearly a year, with the state allocating $4.4 million to fund both the lab and its operation and staffing. The agency has purchased some lab equipment but has not yet begun building the lab.

Now, the CRA is seeking additional authority and lawmakers are working on a bill to provide it, reported Green Market Report.

This would make changes to the measure that legalized recreational cannabis following voters' approval in 2018. That is if it garners support from three-fourths of lawmakers in the state Senate and House of Representatives.

See also: Michigan Gov Whitmer Proposes State Marijuana Testing Lab, MA Cannabis Labs Want Trade Association

David Harns, CRA spokesman explained what having a new lab would mean for Michigan.

"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," Harns told The Detroit News.

There are currently "no unbiased, third-party testing labs" in the state "to provide objective standards for licensed safety compliance facilities to follow," Harns continued.

Greg Michaud, CEO and founder of a private testing lab Viridis Laboratories is strongly against the CRA's push.

He said the state cannot be "fair, impartial, and transparent."

Interestingly, Viridis was accused by CRA of producing inaccurate test results and inflating THC potency data. Viridis, which was at the center of a legal dispute concerning a historic cannabis recall in 2021 denied the claims and countersued the CRA, accusing the regulator of unfair targeting.

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