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OMMA details QA lab progress as industry presses on testing, recalls
Summary
OMMA executives outlined staged validations and accreditations for the agency QA lab and a timeline for ANAB reviews, while industry speakers and patients at the meeting raised concerns about THC potency inflation, noncompliant lab tests and recall processes.
Executive Director Adria Berry told the Executive Advisory Council that the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority’s QA lab has completed accreditation for pesticides in flower and potency in oils and concentrates and is moving through staged validations for additional tests.
"Validations will be completed for terpenes, water activity, and filth and foreign material by the end of this month," Berry said, adding that validations for heavy metals, mycotoxins and residual solvents are planned for the end of May and microbial testing in June. She said ANAB will review the lab in June and again in August.
The update came after multiple public commenters pressed the agency to speed transparency and strengthen testing. Summer Parker, a public commenter, said the QA lab remains delayed "18 months past the initial 30‑day timeline" and asked how many pieces of equipment are in the lab and whether it is ISO accredited. "These restrictions create a bottleneck for accountability," Parker said, referring earlier to limits on public recording of administrative proceedings.
Industry testers raised technical specifics. Jeremy Woods of Woods Compliance cited state law (Title 63 § 427.24A) and OMMA regulations governing authority‑required testing and asked whether revoked or noncompliant test results had been placed on administrative hold and whether products were retested. Jeff Havard of Havard Industries warned of "THC potency inflation" in retail products and said a recent April report shows inflated THC and terpene numbers and shorted packages.
Berry said OMA began building the QA lab after legislators authorized the agency to do so in 2023 and appropriated start‑up funding in 2024. She said OMA terminated a third‑party contract "when I learned that lab was not fulfilling the terms of the contract" and stopped payment. The agency is using OMES for procurement and real estate and has leaned on peer agencies in other states for lab design and validation plans.
On recalls and embargoes, Berry said OMA issues public notices when products fail, maintains a website with batch numbers, and has recently hired a recall coordinator with FDA experience. However, she described legal constraints around placing state holds that physically prevent sale: an administrative hold that amounts to a governmental taking requires due process and may involve an administrative law judge or court review.
"We recall it immediately. We just don't push the button that Jeremy's referencing," Berry said, explaining the legal steps that follow a failed test and noting OMA's efforts to improve notification systems so dispensaries reliably pull recalled products.
The council had no quorum and took no votes. OMMA staff said they will publish QA lab updates and validation milestones on the agency website going forward; Bobby Gramling, OMMA’s science officer, was expected to give a fuller update at the next meeting.
Next steps: ANAB reviews in June and August, continued validations, and a follow‑up report at the next council meeting. The council is scheduled to meet July 17 in room 230.
