A Massachusetts cannabis testing lab will be able to reopen next month after settling with the state's Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) over allegations that it was not accurately reporting the results of tests for yeast and mold in cannabis.
According to Cultivated, Assured Testing Lab has agreed to pay a $300,000 fine and retrain its staff. As part of the settlement, regulators said that Assured CEO Dimitrios Pelekoudas needed to be suspended for at least 12 months. However, the company said it plans to have Pelekoudas transition away from his chief executive role.
"While we disagree with aspects of how we got here, we are eager to return to what we do best: delivering scientific, evidence-backed testing with industry leading cannabis expertise," said an Assured Testing Labs spokesperson. "We will appoint a new CEO, adding another experienced professional to our management team. Together with our agreeing to hire an independent auditor to conduct quarterly quality assurance studies, we believe that these steps will ensure that we maintain the company’s high standards and science-driven culture. We remain committed to being one of the most transparent and trusted labs in Massachusetts."
After the CCC shut down Assured last month, Pelekoudas said he was preparing to the sue the regulator.
"There is a fundamental principle in this state and in this country that before you lose everything at the hands of the government, you have a right to appear in some forum to defend yourself. Assured Testing Laboratory, a locally run business with 33 employees, did nothing wrong here, posed no threat to the public, and ensured that no contaminated products reached the market," he told WBUR. "This is a simple disagreement about how data was being reported. In fact, the CCC’s regulations were so unclear on this specific testing issue, that it reissued regulations that became effective as of April 1 of this year."
