Oregon Cannabis Regulations are Stricter than Those on Food

Oregon has rolled out some seriously strict medical cannabis regulations on products that rolled out after October 1. Professionals working in Oregon’s recreational cannabis space shared with KGW how cannabis undergoes more testing than food products.

Molly Lyons works at GreenHaus Analytical Labs in Portland. GreenHaus is one of the first accredited labs permitted to operate in Oregon’s recreational cannabis market. Every day, the company tests cannabis flower and concentrates for pesticides, mold and its potency. When the products are cooked into edible after being tested, the edibles are also tested to make sure it is compliant with Oregon’s 15 milligrams of THC that is allowed per edible. Each sample can only fail two tests before it is deemed not safe for sale.

“If you can’t sell your product, that’s a big motivator to find a new product that is safe and possibly organic so you can pass your test and have your product on the shelf,” Lyons told KGW. “I could only wish our food was tested to the highest standards as cannabis.”

People in the state can rest assured that the cannabis and cannabis products they are consuming are completely safe due to this strict regulations. Lyons also shared that an estimated up to 30 percent of samples that GreenHaus test fail for pesticides. “When we first starting testing for the full panel of pesticides, customers were upset about those fails,” Lyons said. “I think it helped push them in the right direction before stricter laws came to be.”

Growers are starting to grow organically so they don’t have to worry about failing the tests for pesticides. While this can be a challenge for outdoor grows that are susceptible to mold, it is proof that the regulated cannabis market will give products that consumers can feel comfortable consuming.