Washington certifies state’s first lab to test marijuana for heavy metals

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Washington regulators certified the first laboratory in the state to test for heavy metals in cannabis, meaning that, effective April 18, MJ retailers cannot sell products that haven’t passed the health department-mandated testing.

Medicine Creek Analytics in Fife will perform the tests, and businesses will no longer have to include the required “Not tested for heavy metals” on product labels, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board said in a news release.

Heavy metal and pesticide testing discussions in the state have been particularly worrisome for small farmers, who are reluctant to take on any additional costs.

– Bart Schaneman