Marijuana Testing for Purity at Labs Increasing in Arizona

Appallingly, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) does not require dispensaries to test their medical marijuana for harmful substances such as pesticides, herbicides, molds, bacteria, and other toxins. Fortunately, many Arizona dispensaries choose to have their medicine tested for quality and many more are opting in.

ADHS Director Will Humble’s spokesperson said that it is up to consumers (medical marijuana patients) to decide if they want to buy medical marijuana and edibles from dispensaries that test for these dangerous substances at independent labs. Yet, just because a dispensary has their medical marijuana tested for these hazardous substances, it is still legal for them to knowingly sell the unsafe medical marijuana – thanks to the ADHS’s inadequate safety standards for Arizona’s medical marijuana industry.

But to be fair, it has been said that the public urged state officials during the medical marijuana rule-making process to not require testing under the belief that it would increase the prices of medical marijuana. However, at times like these the government must take a stand for the betterment of the public because medicine without quality control regulations is like grocery stores or restaurants without food quality control regulations. It is just dangerous for all consumers.

Luckily, many dispensaries do test their medicine at independent labs like AZ Med Testing which is a medical marijuana testing company based in Arizona that provides extensive purity tests for Arizona dispensaries that wish to keep their medicine as healthy as possible. Steve Cottrell, owner of AZ Med Testing, said that when he discovers pesticides or mold, he immediately informs the dispensary, but then it is up to the dispensary whether they destroy or sell the contaminated medical marijuana.

Without quality controls, the marijuana being grown in Arizona could become as unsafe as the black market marijuana crossing the borders. Therefore, as a patient it is best to ask each Arizona dispensary you purchase from whether they independently test all of their medicine and whether they destroy or sell their medicine that is tested as having a harmful substance(s).

View all Arizona dispensaries.