Massachusetts is the first state that will require independent labs to test the safet

LionLoves420 · May 9, 2013

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2013/05/08/massachusetts-first-state-require-independent-lab-testing-medical-marijuana/watZmk7emA1lFAcMbyenuK/story.html

Massachusetts is the first state that will require independent labs to test the safety and
quality of marijuana sold for medical use, under final rules that regulators unanimously

approved Wednesday.

The tests will screen for contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and mold. They

will also identify and measure the active chemical compounds in the marijuana.

Health &

wellness

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An earlier proposal would have allowed marijuana dispensaries to conduct their own

testing, but state officials said that to ensure the integrity of the tests, they opted to

make Massachusetts the first to require outside screening. Connecticut is considering a

similar requirement.

The provision is among dozens of changes made by the Department of Public Health to

draft rules the agency released in March, after staff members reviewed hundreds of

suggestions from advocates on all sides of the contentious issue.

The revisions will make it easier for families to get marijuana for sick children. They will

also require marijuana dispensaries to carry liability insurance in case consumers are

harmed, another provision unique to Massachusetts, state officials said.

Dr. Lauren Smith, the state’s interim public

health commissioner, said that while the new

rules take effect May 24, it will take months for

her department to review and license

companies to sell marijuana, set licensing fees, and build an online system to register and

track patients and dispensaries.

“This won’t happen overnight,” Smith said after the vote by the Public Health Council,

an appointed body of academics and health advocates.

“I think the public wants to know we did the background steps,” she added. “I don’t

think they want a fly-by-night operation.”

The Globe reported last month that few credible labs will test marijuana products for

contaminants for fear of losing federal government contracts, because medical marijuana

is not sanctioned by federal law, say researchers who study the medical marijuana

industry.

The updated rules aim to address this concern by requiring staff at these independent

labs to register with the state, thus giving them some measure of legal protection from

possible federal prosecution. The rules also establish a framework of standards and

independent accreditation for labs testing marijuana.

The Coalition for Responsible Patient Care, a trade association of the medical marijuana

industry, applauded the independent lab testing requirement.

‘’

“If you are selling this as medicine, you need to test it to prove that it is what the

dispensaries say it is and that it’s safe to consume,” said treasurer Dorian Des Lauriers.

A number of council members said they were uncomfortable with the official term for

the dispensaries — medical marijuana treatment centers — because the facilities will be

dispensing products and not offering medical treatment. They voted to change the

official name to registered marijuana dispensaries.

Another key change is that dispensaries will be allowed to use organic pesticides on their

products. Previously, all pesticides would have been prohibited, but that prompted an

outcry from growers, who said it is almost impossible to run a large-scale agricultural

operation without using some sort of pesticides.

Access to marijuana for children has been a testy issue, and the new rules propose a

couple of significant changes.

Patients under age 18 with a debilitating medical condition would not have to also have a

life-limiting illness to be eligible for medical marijuana, as required in the earlier version.

Now, written notice from two physicians will allow such patients to override that

provision and use marijuana.

Also, the definition for a life-limiting illness has been changed, from one in which a young

patient has just six months to live, to one in which a patient may be expected to live as

long as two years.

The change, the Public Health Department said, was to align the rules with the definition

used in palliative care, which treats patients who have life-threatening, though not

necessarily terminal, illnesses.

Physicians at Boston Children’s Hospital and other child advocates had urged regulators

to prohibit marijuana use for young patients, saying that there is scant evidence that it is

safe or effective and that it may prove especially toxic to still-developing brains.

Other patient advocates argued that young patients suffering with debilitating illnesses

such as cancer should not be denied relief of their symptoms, including pain.

© 2013 THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

The final rules retain a provision that would require marijuana dispensaries to use childproof

packaging on all products, especially marijuana-infused brownies, cookies, and

candies, which are often used by patients who are unable or choose not to smoke.

Dr. Sharon Levy, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital, had urged the state to -

ensure child-proof packaging because, she said, such sweets would be particularly

appealing to children.

“If you are 3 years old, you may not be able to read the warning label,” Levy said in an

interview.

In Colorado, which legalized medical marijuana several years ago, there has been a spike

in the number of calls to poison control centers about children inadvertently eating

marijuana-laced products, said Dr. George Wang, senior toxicology fellow at the Rocky

Mountain Poison and Drug Center.

“A lot of people think [medical marijuana] is benign, but we are seeing kids come to the

hospital,” Wang said.

Most of these young patients were treated in the emergency room for extreme sedation,

but a few had to be admitted for close observation, he said. None died.

Most businesses carry insur ance to cover any harm to customers from their products,

but some regulators worried that few insurers would be willing to offer coverage to

marijuana dispensaries because the drug is not federally sanctioned.

But the state Public Health Department said staff members contacted insurers in other

states that have approved medical marijuana sales and determined that access to

coverage should not be a barrier. So the department’s new rules will require

dispensaries to obtain general and product liability coverage.

Massachusetts would be the first state to have such an explicit requirement, state

officials said.
Click to expand...

Midnight Garden · May 9, 2013

I'm all for testing what's coming in the front door. I won't smoke it anymore if I didn't grow it. I've seen so much crap with regards to people just nuking the living shit out of plants with chemicals. I've done it myself, but only on plants that the sole purpose was for seeds and not smoking.

LionLoves420 · May 9, 2013

I can tell a big difference between organic and chemically grown pot. It burns different and the ash looks different.

However, I am afraid this feeds into what Useless and TA were talking about with copyrighting strains and enforcing those laws if marijuana is regulated like tobacco and alcohol and not legalized straight out.

Local420 · May 9, 2013

LionLoves420 said:

I can tell a big difference between organic and chemically grown pot. It burns different and the ash looks different.
However, I am afraid this feeds into what Useless and TA were talking about with copyrighting strains and enforcing those laws if marijuana is regulated like tobacco and alcohol and not legalized straight out.
Click to expand...

Word!

Midnight Garden · May 10, 2013

LionLoves420 said:

I can tell a big difference between organic and chemically grown pot. It burns different and the ash looks different.
However, I am afraid this feeds into what Useless and TA were talking about with copyrighting strains and enforcing those laws if marijuana is regulated like tobacco and alcohol and not legalized straight out.
Click to expand...

You're talking about the plants food. That article you posted is referring to pesticides and the like. I don't see glow in the dark weed in my future, ever. Screw big pharma. But, if I were on our side at the negotiating table I'd give the state the point that they want it independently tested for the stuff that article says, nothing wrong with that.

LionLoves420 · May 10, 2013

Well yes, if it is organic or not depends on how you feed it. Did I miss something there that is relevant? Does it matter if we are testing for pesticides or not? GMO's don't have to go through some of that shit.

Our problem is we don't want copyrighted strains, and any excuse to test a plant is an excuse to check it's genetic structure.

ResinRubber · May 10, 2013

There's testing for existing compounds such as gas chromatography (which I'm in favor of) then there's genetic marker testing for GMO plants. (Which I'm against)

The issue becomes how do those at the table negotiate the line between the two and then maintain the integrity of that line?

Midnight Garden · May 10, 2013

ResinRubber said:

There's testing for existing compounds such as gas chromatography (which I'm in favor of) then there's genetic marker testing for GMO plants. (Which I'm against)
The issue becomes how do those at the table negotiate the line between the two and then maintain the integrity of that line?
Click to expand...

That's exactly my point.

Stash2.0 · May 10, 2013

Gas has fallin to Liquid chromatogrophy

ResinRubber · May 10, 2013

Stash2.0 said:

Gas has fallin to Liquid chromatogrophy
Click to expand...

You'd know better than me.:redbong: What's the Colorado industry's take on it Stash? Bud testing is/was a big deal then some lab got popped a few years back on some bullshit charges. Is private testing still a growing industry for you guys?

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Massachusetts is the first state that will require independent labs to test the safet

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