Editor's Note: It's a little surprising that testing hasn't been a priority among regulators in Colorado, especially regarding potency (level of THC), though it's probably going to be one now. While many growers and dispensaries have likely been testing their products–despite lack of penalization if they didn't test–others may not test, leaving consumers susceptible to unpredictable or inconsistent levels of THC, as well as contaminants. But even if regulators don't require testing, Michele Brooke, a lawyer specializing in the cannabis industry and contributor to Cannabis Business Times, suggests all cultivators and dispensaries (recreational and/or medical) test their products to avoid product liability suits (in addition to keeping customers safe). It seems obvious that this is a necessary step for any product being sold to consumers on a mass scale.
DENVER — A year into sales of recreational marijuana in Colorado, the state's Marijuana Enforcement Division still has yet to start ordering the testing of marijuana for contaminants, something the state of Washington has been doing for nearly six months.
An ongoing investigation between USA Today and 9Wants to Know reveals more than 13 percent of marijuana and THC-infused products has failed testing for contaminants for such things as mold, salmonella and E. coli in Washington.
Colorado has struggled to define criteria for contaminant testing and, as of now, only orders testing for potency of marijuana and marijuana products. In addition, an earlier investigation by 9Wants to Know revealed Colorado's MED remains either unwilling or unable to offer specifics on how that testing is going.
