Marijuana testing lab fraud claims hit New Yorks adult-use market

Familiar allegations of marijuana testing lab fraud – including vape oil cartridges with “certified” total cannabinoids of more than 100% – are now roiling the adult-use market in New York.Accusations that labs are inflating THC potency to satisfy clients – and potentially manipulating data in tests meant to ensure consumer safety – echo similar complaints made across the country.

But they hit New York at a sensitive time. ADVERTISEMENT Critics say the lab-fraud problem threatens to undermine consumer confidence just as recreational cannabis sales in New York eclipsed $1 billion for the first time after a rocky start.

Making the problem worse, according to two lab operators in New York who spoke with MJBizDaily, is that regulators aren’t taking the problem seriously.‘The last thing NY cannabis needs right now’ In a December letter to the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), representatives from two of the state’s 16 testing labs outlined what they said are “serious problems.” The problems included cannabis products with inflated THC potency, as well as vape oil cartridges with impossible cannabinoid profiles.

“If these issues remain unaddressed, we fear that unethical and unsafe lab results will become the norm, mirroring situations seen in other states,” Aaron Riley, the CEO of Orlando, Florida-based Certified Testing and Data, and Edward Lukaszek, the CEO of Biotrax Testing Laboratory in Buffalo, told the OCM in a Dec.17 letter obtained by MJBizDaily.

They added that “no enforcement on this matter will only hamper the program for years to come.” “We respectfully request that the OCM enact immediate recalls to begin dealing with these issues,” their letter continued.“There is no place for such behavior in New York’s cannabis industry.

It is leading to an erosion of trust – the last thing NY cannabis needs right now.” But, as Riley and Williams Nichols, lead ...