Massachusetts marijuana lab sues rivals over 'fraudulent' practices

A Massachusetts marijuana testing lab has filed a lawsuit accusing eight competitors of “fraudulent” practices of inflating THC potency and manipulating safety results to allow potentially tainted products into the market.The complaint, filed Jan.

30 by MCR Labs in Suffolk County Superior Court, follows years of allegations in the industry that labs are deliberately falsifying data to please clients and that state cannabis regulators have been unable to rectify the problem. ADVERTISEMENT The lawsuit also cites lab data held by the state, obtained via public-records requests, that it says supports its claims of potency inflation.

Lab ‘shopping’ in play, suit claims “This race-to-the-bottom willingness to manipulate testing … results in unknowing consumers overpaying for lower-potency cannabis riddled with dangerous contaminants,” the lawsuit claims in part.According to the suit, “judicial intervention is needed to revive lawful competition by honest brokers in the marketplace and restore trust among consumers.” Labs that claim they’re following the rules – and returning THC potency results lower than their competitors, leading producers to “shop” for a friendly lab – say they’re losing business to unscrupulous labs willing to compromise.

MCR Labs once held nearly 50% of the market but steadily lost that share to dishonest competitors, according to the lawsuit. ADVERTISEMENT Massachusetts has 15 licensed independent testing labs, according to state Cannabis Control Commission data.

MCR Labs’ lawsuit names eight of them: Analytics Labs Assured Testing Laboratories CDX Analytics Green Analytics Massachusetts (formerly Steep Hill Massachusetts) Green Valley Analytics Kaycha MA Massbiolytics Corp.SafeTiva Labs The defendants have yet to secure counsel or respond to MCR’s complaint, according to the court docket.

Allegations of inflated TH...