The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is looking to revoke the license of a local cannabis testing lab accused of not meeting regulatory standards when testing medical products.
Officials with the MSDH, through the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program (MMCP), on Thursday decided to move forward with beginning the process of stripping the license of Rapid Analytics, LLC, one of the state’s two medical cannabis testing facilities.
This decision follows an investigation conducted between December 21, 2023, and February 9, 2024, in which health regulators claim to have spotted significant deviations from regulations and approved procedures committed by the local testing lab. Rapid Analytics is estimated to test 70% of the state’s medical cannabis products.
An anonymous tip was allegedly sent to the health department regarding the use of pesticides and the presence of mycotoxins while the product was being tested at the Natchez lab. State officials then sent an order for Rapid Analytics to suspend operations indefinitely and put a bulk of the medical cannabis product on hold while the product could be retested.
MCCP officials began a mass retesting of products and covered the costs back in January. Products that are cleared by state regulators will be placed back on the shelves of dispensaries, MSDH confirms.
“Medical cannabis testing is critical to ensuring product safety for patients, and Rapid Analytics’ disregard for regulatory compliance poses a threat to public health and welfare,” a portion of a press release from MSHD reads.
Health officials plan to have Rapid Analytics’ license revoked by March 13. The testing facility has 20 days to appeal MSDH’s decision. Failure to appeal within that timeframe would result in an automatic loss of licensure.
