Alaska draft rule would end in-house marijuana testing by growers and manufacturers

Marijuana growers and manufacturers in Alaska would lose the option to test their own products in-house under a draft rule from the state Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. The draft repeals code sections that let standard cultivation facilities and manufacturers test their own crops in-house. It also strikes the exemption allowing establishments to skip third-party testing rules when using equipment solely on their own products. The term "in-house testing" would be removed from the code entirely.

The department says the project "simplifies regulations by removing mentions of in house testing," reducing regulatory burden. Required batch testing before sale already goes to licensed marijuana testing facilities. In-house testing was defined separately as lab testing that does not meet those facilities' standards.

The in-house definition dates to the 2016 register for 3 AAC 306. Drafts under the board's AO-360 project were on the agenda for the Marijuana Control Board's Sept. 2-3 meeting in Anchorage. Nothing has been adopted yet, and the repeal dates in the technical draft remain blank. The board's next regular meeting is set for Nov. 18-19.

Cultivators and manufacturers that bought their own testing equipment would depend entirely on outside labs. Under 3 AAC 306.605, those licensed third-party labs are the only entities permitted to provide test results.