Olympia cannabis testing lab has WA license suspended
Cannabis harvest in Washington state. (Matt Mills McKnight/Crosscut)
Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board has suspended the certification of an Olympia cannabis testing laboratory.
The True Northwest lab received an emergency suspension of its state certification on Tuesday and has 180 days to appeal that decision to the Cannabis Board.
The agency’s staff determined that the lab failed to meet several accreditation requirements, including not having a lab director and not having its scales properly calibrated. The lab provided incorrect results to its customers, the Board said in a news release.
In September, the Cannabis Board received documents that suggested the lab was producing inaccurate test results. On Sept. 19, an independent lab certification firm, RJ Lee, confirmed that True Northwest had failed proficiency tests on June 16, 2022 and May 23, 2023.
On Oct. 9, the Board and RJ Lee audited True Northwest and found five major deficiencies. Board spokeswoman Julie Graham said the deficiencies included the lack of a lab director, improperly labeled chemicals, improperly calibrated balances and scales, calibration curves for residual solvents being noncompliant with regulations, and the inability to complete the lab’s data review process.
On Oct. 11, the Board ordered True Northwest not to accept new samples or proceed with tests. After Tuesday’s suspension, Washington has seven remaining marijuana quality-assurance labs.
The lab tested marijuana samples for THC levels (the potency of the substance that gets you high) and CBD levels (the substance that helps medical patients deal with pain and nausea), as well as moisture and bacteria content. The THC results are sent to the state marijuana testing database and to growers. Those numbers would then be put on the labels for the pot to be sold.
At least one other marijuana quality-assurance lab — Praxis Laboratory in Centralia — has had its certification suspended. Inspections determined in 2021 that Praxis sent inflated THC figures to its grower clients, tricking them into thinking their cannabis was more potent than it really was. Praxis did not contest the suspensions after the 180-day waiting period, and lost its certification.