Two marijuana test labs get final OK

BOSTON - Marijuana regulators on Thursday approved two testing laboratories to inspect all nonmedical marijuana sold in Massachusetts, bringing the state one step closer to the legal marijuana industry sanctioned by voters two years ago.

The Cannabis Control Commission has already issued final licenses to two retail marijuana stores, but all marijuana sold in Massachusetts must first be tested by an independent lab. Therefore, retail sales cannot begin until at least one lab has been given a final license and is allowed by the CCC to begin testing cannabis.

 Also Thursday, the CCC voted to grant provisional licenses to three more retail shops -- in Uxbridge, Oxford and Great Barrington - along with three marijuana cultivators - in Webster, Pittsfield and Leicester -- and two product manufacturers.

Caroline's Cannabis was provisionally approved to sell retail marijuana out of a shop at 640 Douglas St. in Uxbridge, Curaleaf Massachusetts was approved to sell nonmedical marijuana out of its existing medical dispensary at 425 Main St. in Oxford, and Theory Wellness was given provisional approval to sell nonmedical marijuana at its medical dispensary at 394 Stockbridge Rd. in Great Barrington.

In total, the CCC on Thursday authorized up to an additional 210,000 square feet of cannabis cultivation. Commonwealth Cultivation was given a provisional license to grow up to 10,000 square feet of marijuana canopy at 74 Downing Parkway in Pittsfield, Curaleaf got a provisional license to grow up to 100,000 square feet of canopy at 30 Worcester Rd. in Webster and East Coast Organics was given an initial green light to grow up to 100,000 square feet at 88 Huntoon Memorial Highway in Leicester.

The CCC on Thursday unanimously approved CDX Analytics of Salem to act as an independent testing lab for the non-medical marijuana market and then approved MCR Labs of Framingham on a 4-1 vote after hearing about an incident last year in which an employee allegedly stole samples of marijuana from the lab, which already tests marijuana for the Department of Public Health's medical marijuana program.

So far, the CCC has approved two retailers for final licensure and has provisionally approved another 51 marijuana business establishments.