Maine marijuana testing lab closed over licensing difficulty

(This story has been up to date with extra data from Maine’s Workplace of Marijuana Coverage.)

Massachusetts-based marijuana testing firm ProVerde Laboratories shut down its Portland, Maine, location after municipal authorities stated it was working with out the mandatory native authorizations.

The closure was first reported by the Portland Press Herald.

A December analysis by Portland authorities “revealed that (ProVerde was) working a marijuana enterprise out of the business property at 220 Industrial Method and not using a allow, certificates of occupancy, or enterprise license,” in accordance with a discover of violation dated Dec. 15 and shared with Marijuana Enterprise Each day by metropolis officers.

A allow software to vary the standing of the unit from a warehouse or storage location to a laboratory “remains to be in evaluation and has not been authorized or issued right now,” in accordance with the discover.

“You at present wouldn’t have metropolis approval to function a marijuana enterprise, as you haven’t accomplished the change of use course of and wouldn’t have a certificates of occupancy for laboratory use.”

ProVerde additionally hasn’t utilized for a “marijuana testing facility enterprise license,” the discover stated.

Metropolis officers warned ProVerde that if it didn’t cease working, it may very well be disqualified from holding a marijuana enterprise license in Portland for 5 years.

A reinspection is scheduled for Feb. 2, in accordance with the discover.

ProVerde didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from MJBizDaily on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, the corporate’s Chief Scientific Officer Christopher Hudalla advised the Press Herald “he was not conscious licensing was required for medical marijuana testing, solely leisure or grownup use, and is in search of clarification from officers.”

ProVerde obtained a temporary license from Portland in April 2020 that has since expired, the Press Herald reported.

Hudalla advised the newspaper the corporate plans to get one other license.

Maine’s Workplace of Marijuana Coverage (OMP) stated the state has “at the least seven institutions at present or soon-to-be offering testing providers of some kind to medical marijuana-related companies in Maine,” together with ProVerde.

“Testing is just obligatory in Maine’s grownup use marijuana program,” OMP spokesman David Heidrich wrote in an e-mail to MJBizDaily.

“So for the final a number of years, testing amenities working in Maine have been offering voluntary testing to medical registrants and haven’t been formally registered with OMP.”

– Solomon Israel