Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | August 21, 2023 | wbjournal.com Tainted Central Mass. cannabis testing companies say inconsistent and unclear regulations are putting potentially harmful marijuana on the shelves and encourage dishonesty among businesses. Regulators are eying changes. Leadership at Milford testing facility ProVerde Laboratories worry unclear regulations from the Cannabis Control Commission endanger consumers. BY ISABEL TEHAN WBJ Staff Writer A s Massachusetts was the first market east of the Mississippi River to sell adult-use marijuana, the industry has been filled with excitement since sales first began in 2018. It's also been beset by problems, including regulatory problems. In the early years, the main problems were a lack of diversity among cannabis businesses, even though the ballot initiative legalizing marijuana in the state specifically called for the industry to benefit those negatively impacted by the War on Drugs; and individual municipalities trying to extract large payments from business, in order for those companies to obtain host communities agreements before they could open. Both of these issues had to be resolved in a cannabis industry reform law passed by the Massachusetts legislature in 2022. Now, industry players – particularly Central Massachusetts testing companies – are sounding the alarm on the state's inconsistent product safety testing standards, which they say are filling shelves with potentially harmful, moldy products; encourage dishonesty among testing companies; and mislead consumers into how much high- inducing THC is in the products they purchase. "e biggest problem is that nobody is looking," said Peter Ianuzzi, CEO at Milford cannabis testing firm Proverde Laboratories. Based on new rules under consider- ation, the agency in charge of regulating the industry, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, agrees changes need to be made. "When the regulations were written, we didn't think about things like lab shopping. It needs to be reevaluated," said Shannon O'Brien, chair of the CCC. ese issues are all set against the backdrop of new legislation saying the CCC itself needs an oversight board, as lawmakers work to resolve allegations the CCC's response to business concerns are inefficient, slow, unnecessarily harsh, and lack clear communication, said state Sen. Michael Moore (D-Worcester). Shannon O'Brien, chair, Cannabis Control Commission PHOTOS | CHRISTINE PETERSON

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