An administrative law judge has found that a cannabis testing company launched by three former Michigan State Police cops repeatedly violated state rules by using unapproved testing methods and failing to properly document laboratory procedures, despite warnings from regulators.
The labs were founded in 2018 by Greg Michaud, the former director of the Michigan State Police forensic division; Todd Welch, a retired MSP forensic scientist; and Dr. Michele Glinn, a former MSP toxicologist. Together, the trio said they had more than 85 years of drug testing experience and launched Viridis with the goal of bringing scientific credibility to Michigan’s newly regulated marijuana industry.
But soon after the labs gained traction, state regulators accused Viridis of inflating THC levels and failing to follow basic scientific protocols.
Despite repeated investigations, public criticism, and a historically large cannabis recall in 2021, the labs have continued to operate. Viridis says it tests roughly a quarter-million pounds of cannabis flower each year.
Still, stories of inflated THC levels have become so widespread that some consumers boycott cannabis products tested by Viridis, which critics say is often reporting suspiciously high potency.
The judge found that Viridis violated multiple administrative rules by deviating from approved testing methods, failing to validate changes to those methods, and not maintaining adequate records for microbial testing. In one case, technicians misidentified visible mold on a sample and passed it, describing it as “mite poop,” according to testimony during the hearing. In another, inspectors discovered that technicians were using lower magnification levels than required to screen flower for foreign matter.
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