Lab vies for Arkansas medical cannabis testing contract

At least one laboratory is throwing its hat in the ring to test medical marijuana in Arkansas.

And with more than 300 applications submitted so far for the state’s five cultivation and 32 dispensary licenses, the MMJ program is starting to take shape.

According to KATV, Little Rock-based Marygold Laboratories is planning to spend $1.1 million to enter the cannabis testing space. Marygold, a craft beer-testing lab, would check marijuana for potency – THC and CBD levels – as well as moisture and contaminants.

The lab is holding out for International Organization for Standardization certification, KATV reported. No lab can receive its ISO certification until legal marijuana is growing in the state.

According to the Little Rock TV station, Marygold hopes to have its expansion completed by November and ready to test by 2018.

Arkansas has no cap on the number of MMJ testing labs, and the application process is continuous.

The state expects to award cultivation and dispensary business licenses by the end of the year and see its first sales in March 2018.