Oregon Alters Marijuana Testing Rules to Allow More Flexibility

The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Liquor Control Commission have announced some temporary regulatory changes to allow greater flexibility in testing, in turn, allowing for more products to be available for sale.

The state will now allow for the testing of samples of batches as opposed to complete batches. This will allow for more products to be sold, officials say. And they believe that it won't effect the quality of what's available.

”Based on what we have learned from the nationwide legalization effort, it is more important than ever to ensure certain products that make it to shelves are free from pesticides and contaminants," Governor Kate Brown said.

The State of Oregon says that its marijuana testing program is the most comprehensive effort to protect consumers and is the first of its kind in the nation. Both industry and state agencies expect the implementation of this groundbreaking effort to be developmental, but it is clear in the law that high standards are required.

"The temporary rules hold to goals the Legislature set out for testing of marijuana and OHA and OLCC are doing all they can to utilize certified lab capacity to screen out products tainted by pesticides and other contaminates", said Andre Ourso, manager of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program at OHA.

The OHA and OLCC have decided they will not change the packaging and labeling standards for new product entering each system after Oct. 1, 2016. The agencies believe that holding to the Oct. 1, 2016 deadline will not adversely affect the market. If licensees do not have pre-approved packaging and labels, they may use generic packaging and labeling until their packages and labels are approved by the OLCC. The OLCC is currently caught up on requests for packaging and labeling approvals.

State agencies have created flexibility for products that currently exist in medical dispensaries prior to Oct. 1, 2016 by not requiring those products to be in pre-approved packages. However, they must meet current packaging and labeling standards, including the child safety requirements.

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