Alaska’s first cannabis testing lab opens

Recreational shops and commercial and private growers in Alaska now have a testing lab to analyze their cannabis, clearing a major obstacle for recreational sales to proceed.

CannTest, based in Anchorage, got the regulatory green light on Friday and opened for business on Monday, according to the Peninsula Clarion.

With testing underway, Alaska’s recreational market is ready to kick off. The testing process was one of the final hurdles to clear for sales to begin. Now growers can start supplying retailers.

CannTest will test for purity and potency. Alaskan regulators require marijuana to be tested at a state-licensed laboratory for potency and microbial before it can be sold. It costs $80 to test for potency and $150 for microbial. Each sample takes about 72 hours, according to KTVA.

Voters approved recreational marijuana use in November 2014.