Washington state regulators suspended the quality-assurance certification for testing lab True Northwest.
“The lab failed to submit an acceptable corrective action report in response to a deficiency report,” the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) said in a news release, also citing “multiple serious deficiencies found during a laboratory assessment and proficiency testing.”
True Northwest’s certification was suspended for 180 days while the LCB works to revoke the certification.
The Olympia-based lab fell afoul of accreditation requirements such as “issuing incorrect test results to licensees and the public,” according to the agency.
The LCB said its investigation started in September 2023 after the agency received “documentation from True Northwest that suggested the lab was providing inaccurate quality assurance and quality control test results.”
Later that month, a third-party lab-certification monitor reported that True Northwest was noncompliant, according to the release.
In October, the LCB learned that the lab “no longer had a lab director on site, a violation of certification requirements.”
A further audit found problems that “posed a significant public safety concern,” and True Northwest was placed on administrative hold Oct. 11.
The LCB board approved an emergency suspension on Oct. 25.
Cannabis regulators in other states have also taken action against testing labs, including in Florida, Michigan and Nevada.
