CCC advances overhaul of cannabis testing rules after industry push

Detailed summary

Cannabis businesses and others in the sector have called on the Cannabis Control Commission to modernize its testing rules — which were last updated in 2021 — to be more standardized and consistent with new data.

Appearing to heed calls from cannabis businesses and others in the industry, regulators are working on an overhaul of the sector’s testing rules.

Cannabis businesses and others in the sector have called on the Cannabis Control Commission to modernize its testing rules — which were last updated in 2021 — to be more standardized and consistent with new data. Regulators appear to have heard them, with establishing uniform requirements for how testing labs operate one of the major focuses of the CCC’s latest draft regulations.

Among the requirements for independent testing labs included in the proposed regulations are: establishing and maintaining competency requirements for staff whose work affects results; properly maintaining and using facilities and equipment; following appropriate and verified analytical methods that also include quality control measures; and participating in blind testing at least once a year.

“The call is for standardization, or further standardization, of the labs,” Andrew Dancoe, chief of testing and compliance for the CCC, said during an Oct. 22 meeting when the regulations were first discussed.

The CCC made several policy decisions related to the regulations Thursday, including allowing a lab to retest a sample for a total of three times if it failed. This is meant to distinguish between lab errors and actual noncompliance with standards. Labels must also identify whether the product has undergone remediation or sanitization — a process that’s meant to reduce contaminants conducted before compliance testing. And products must be tested before any sales to consumers or between businesses.

The CCC is planning to take an initial vote on the regulations on Dec. 10 and open up a public comment period in January before taking a final vote that’s planned for April 2027. The updated testing rules are part of a vast array of regulations the CCC is seeking to fast-track to meet legally mandated deadlines embedded within this year’s law overhauling the…

Erica…

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Boston Globe. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.