NATCHEZ, Miss. (WJTV) – Businesses in Mississippi are feeling the impact after the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) placed an administrative hold on certain medical marijuana products.
According to the Mississippi Free Press, the hold was placed on Rapid Analytics in Natchez. The hold was issued on December 21, 2023. MSDH received an anonymous phone call that alleged the testing lab was not conducting the proper procedures for pesticides.
MSDH officials said the specific circumstances leading to the hold remain under investigation by the agency, but the retesting is to validate results related to the use of pesticides and presence of mycotoxins. They said there are no reports of illnesses related to the impacted products.
Rapid Analytics tests about 70% of the state’s medical marijuana products.
“You know, if this was one line of products from one cultivator, they can just shut that one cultivator down, you know what I mean? And retest those products from that one. There seems to be a bigger problem with discrepancies between the two labs and just trying to figure out where the right, you know, answers are,” said Mike Watkins, executive director of the Mississippi Independent Cannabis Association.
Watkins believes it will take several weeks for the issue to be resolved due to the large amount of products that need to be retested and approved.
MSDH officials said retesting is being conducted in licensed medical cannabis testing facilities with validated testing methods in place and approved by the agency. As batches of products are cleared, they will be removed from the hold, and be back on the market.
Officials said patients are encouraged to contact dispensaries to see what products are available.
“Through the state’s seed to sale tracking system, the agency can isolate the batch and lot numbers associated with this administrative hold and expedite the retesting. The tracking system is an invaluable tool to assist with regulatory compliance and overall product safety,” said Laura Goodson, Director of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program.
