Oregon Regulators Suspend a Cannabis Lab for Unlicensed Testing

Regulators in Oregon have suspended the license of a cannabis testing lab following a series of violations.

The order bans Ecotest Labs from operating and receiving any cannabis material until further notice.

Up in smoke

In a press release from September 30, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) said that Ecotest’s continued operations represented “a serious danger to the public health and safety.”

The state regulator has identified at least 160 affected cannabis companies that received products tested for potency by Ecotest since August 21, 2020. The agency says it will work with those licensees to have the products re-tested.

The Oregon lab initially had some of its testing accreditation suspended this July after it failed to meet testing standards set by the Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ORELAP).

At the time, ORELAP officials suspected that some of Ecotest’s testing equipment had been relocated from its licensed premises in Phoenix, Oregon, to an unlicensed location in Hillsboro, Oregon. Ecotest representatives confirmed this to be true in August.

Despite receiving warnings from the OLCC and ORELAP that testing on unlicensed premises is prohibited, the OLCC says Ecotest continued to do so into September.

Around September 9, Ecotest’s Phoenix location was destroyed in the west coast wildfires. Following its loss, the lab moved its full operations to the Hillsboro site.

Although the OLCC has committed to help cannabis companies affected by the wildfires and “expedite relocations” should they be required, the state regulator says that Ecotest’s violations prior to the destruction of its Phoenix lab warranted an immediate suspension.

The investigation is ongoing and Ecotest is entitled to exercise its administrative hearing rights to challenge the OLCC’s actions.