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Ohio's Medical Marijuana Program Can't Find Lab Testers

Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program logo
OHIO MEDICAL MARIJUANA CONTROL PROGRAM

The state’s new medical marijuana program is supposed to begin a little more than a year from now. But there are still lots of questions, such as who will grow the plants, what conditions they’ll be grown under, and who will do lab testing on the cannabis before patients get access to it.

The state’s new medical marijuana program calls for a public university to test the plants. But, so far, none has stepped forward, although at least one private company says it will work with an unnamed public university to do the testing.  

Justin Hunt with the Ohio Department of Commerce suggests a private company could step in if a university fails to make a request for application.

“If they didn’t apply for the RFA that will be out September 11th through September 22nd, the department can prepare to issue licenses to private labs on that June 5th of 2018 date,” he said.

Some schools that rely on federal funding have expressed concern because marijuana is still illegal under federal law.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment. Jo started her career in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid 80’s when she helped produce a televised presidential debate for ABC News, worked for a creative services company and served as a general assignment report for a commercial radio station. In 1989, she returned back to her native Ohio to work at the WOSU Stations in Columbus where she began a long resume in public radio.