Maine Cannabis Testing Labs
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Does Maine License Independent Cannabis Testing Labs?
In Maine, independent third-party cannabis testing laboratories are issued certification and licenses for testing cannabis and cannabis products. Cannabis testing facilities pass through rigorous accreditation and certification processes to ensure security, confidentiality and quality assurance. Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) is in charge of issuing licenses to cannabis testing facilities. It is worth noting that medical cannabis is not subjected to mandatory testing in Maine.
Requirements for Marijuana Testing Labs in Maine
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires cannabis testing facilities to obtain ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation in order to ensure competent facility operation and generate valid results. Furthermore, Maine requires cannabis testing facilities do the following:
- Develop and implement a quality assurance program
- Write the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Participate in proficiency-testing program
- Conduct annual internal audit
Maine Required Tests for Cannabis Products
Licensed cannabis testing facilities are required by the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) to test cannabis and cannabis products for the following analyte types:
- Dangerous molds and mildews
- Filth and foreign material
- Harmful microbes
- Metals
- Pesticides (including insecticides, fungicides, and growth regulators)
- Residual solvents, poisons, and toxins
- Water activity
How Do Maine Marijuana Testing Labs Submit and Report Test Results?
If a cannabis sample fails mandatory testing, licensed testing facilities in Maine must report in the state’s inventory tracking system and the Certificate of Analysis (COA). This report must state that the submitted sample failed the test with results that exceeded the required action level, a threshold value determining whether a sample fails or passes an analytical test. Also, the testing results must be reported to the entity that submitted the sample and the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP). A “pass” is entered into the inventory tracking system within one business day of issuing the final quality control review if the sample passes the test. All cannabis testing facilities must email copies of their Certificates of Analysis to testingresults.OMP@maine.gov.
How Much Does It Cost to Test Cannabis in Maine?
Cannabis testing facilities in Maine do not publicly advertise their fees for full panel tests. You can contact them via their websites to get information about their pricings. However, licensed cannabis testing labs provide an indication of the relative cost of adult-use cannabis testing in Maine. They reported that in general, testing a small batch of cannabis flower (2.5 kg) will take up to 3% of the cultivator’s profit while testing a large batch (10 kg) will only account for 0.7% of the cultivator’s profit.
What Happens to Cannabis Products That Fail Lab Tests in Maine?
Maine allows the remediating and retesting of failed cannabis products. Before the process of retesting or remediating, the licensed testing facility must inform the licensee providing the sample and the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP). The licensee may choose to do either of the following:
- Reorder the test without remediating the failed batch
- Remediate the failed batch, then submit new samples for testing
It is important to note that cannabis and cannabis products that failed testing for pesticides and heavy metals cannot be remediated. However, they can be retested. To have a failed cannabis batch retested, the entity must submit two samples to the same cannabis testing facility that issued the first failed test. Cannabis concentrate and cannabis products whose samples fail the retesting must be destroyed. Cannabis flower or trim may be retested if either of the two new samples fails the required testing.
After remediation, the licensee can submit two samples that must pass all the required testing for any analyte category that failed initial testing. If any of the two new samples fail, the batch must be destroyed. The Office of Cannabis Policy will issue an Order of Destruction to the cannabis cultivator or manufacturer submitting samples for testing for failed cannabis batches that are not retested, remediated, or destroyed.
List of Cannabis Testing Labs in Maine
In Maine, the Center for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) and Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) have certified and licensed only these four cannabis testing laboratories: