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OMA QA lab gains accreditation, plans testing expansion; chief science officer to retire
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Summary
OMA's QA lab reported receiving accreditation and will expand testing to pesticides, cannabinoids and other assays in mid-December; Chief Science Officer Lee Rhodes told the council he will retire in January.
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority's quality-assurance laboratory told the Executive Advisory Council that it has achieved accreditation and is expanding its validated testing menu.
Lee Rhodes said the lab completed a three-day on-site inspection in July, addressed four minor documentation items, and received its formal certificate in October. The lab validated pesticides, cannabinoids and concentrates and is adding terpenes, residual solvents and microbiology to its scope, with scope-expansion work scheduled for Dec. 17.
Rhodes said validations are "going extremely well" and the lab will increase its capacity to support enforcement and testing needs in the state; OMA staff emphasized the QA lab can help distinguish illegal hemp-derived intoxicants from regulated marijuana in investigations.
Separately, Rhodes announced his retirement effective in January and thanked colleagues for six years of service. OMA said it posted the chief science officer position and will announce hires after interviews are complete.
The council discussed coordinating lab evidence with law-enforcement agencies (OSBI, OBNDD) and OMA offered the QA lab as a resource for complex chemical-identification cases.
