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The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency hopes a new state-run marijuana testing lab can build trust in an industry in turmoil and ultimately root out potential corruption.

The Legislature is expected to approve the state budget in the coming weeks, which includes a $4.4 million earmark for the CRA to establish, build and staff its own reference testing lab. The state believes the new lab will boost regulators’ ability to stymie illicit product entering the legal market, audit private sector labs and optimize standard testing methodologies.

“The challenges facing the testing industry have been widely reported,” CRA Executive Director Brian Hanna told Crain’s. “There is no unbiased lab in existence in Michigan currently, so our goal is to be able to provide those services that will ultimately make the industry safer and save them money.”

Under state rules, marijuana growers are required to test 0.5% of a harvested batch of marijuana at an independent lab before it can be sold for consumer use. Batch sizes max out at 50 pounds under the regulations. In March alone, labs tested nearly 103,600 pounds of marijuana flower and shake with a consumer sales value of $11.3 million, based on CRA data.

To read more, click on Crain’s Detroit

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