The state of Oregon is continuing to lead in terms of standardizing quality in the cannabis industry. As of August 30th, cannabis cultivators and producers test and qualify 100% of batches going to dispensaries from an ORELAP (Oregon Laboratory Accreditation Program) accredited testing laboratory. These labs undergo a biennial review from the state to ensure that the laboratory has procedures in place that adhere to internationally recognized standards.

Raw flower and concentrates including edibles must pass testing for pesticides, water activity and moisture content, potency of cannabinoid compounds, and microbiological contamination. Oregon Health Authority has created an overview of the testing and reporting requirements.

Before the mandate was in place, only 30% of batches required testing before approval to be sold in local dispensaries. In a bulletin published this week, cannabis organizations will be required to test all harvest and production batches of cannabis before going to market.

Initially, the reduced testing requirements were the consequence of a limited number of accredited testing laboratories. Currently, for a lab to be certified to test cannabis or its products it needed to be accredited by the ORELAB and licensed by the OLCC. The number of labs has increased from 5 to 10 since the initial requirements.

Since last year, there have been 3 instances of recalls in the state of Oregon. Two recalls were initiated by the Oregon Health Authority and 1 by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. In our article, The Downfall of a Recall, we identified how all of these instances could be avoided with the proper quality systems in place.

The increase in inspections definitely has the patients and consumers best interests at heart but these inspections are simply filtering out the defective products. Quality can never be inspected into a product, rather it must be inherently incorporating into the production process. Oregon and the rest of the country must continue to push for standardization of the industry and regulation for the manufacture of cannabis and cannabis products.

To learn more about quality by design and creating processes that bring inherent quality to your products contact us at info@oriongmp.com or visit our website for more information.