“These are being used for medicinal purposes. It’s called medical marijuana,” Rhoades said. “And by implication, there’s going to be people, for instance cancer patients, who may be susceptible more than the general public to feel effects from contaminants. We’re calling it medical marijuana and it’s incumbent upon us to make sure, as in anything else medical, to do no harm.”

Melissa Miller credited the OMMA’s staff with its ability to meet “pretty aggressive” timelines for implementation of State Question 788, subsequent legislation such as HB 2612 and the release of emergency rules as new laws take effect. But Austin Miller noted there is already a high ratio of licensed businesses to laboratories offering cannabis testing, which can cause lengthy delays for growers, processors and dispensaries.

As of Oct. 7, the OMMA has approved more than 200,000 patient applications. It has licensed 4,063 growers, 1,651 dispensaries and 1,168 processors as of the beginning of the month. There are only a handful of laboratories in operation in the state.

“Dispensaries are trying to be competitive with their pricing and also be compliant with everything,” he said, adding that tests can cost up to $375 per sample.