Business & Tech
Natick Cannabis Lab Named In Lawsuit
Framingham's MCR Labs said other state labs' alleged testing result manipulation is damaging to consumers and its own business.
FRAMINGHAM, MA — A Framingham cannabis testing lab has filed a lawsuit against eight others in Massachusetts, claiming they have evidence they committed fraud by manipulating testing results.
MCR Labs filed a 50-page lawsuit in Suffolk County Superior Court that stated the companies are in violation of state law while also causing damage to MCR's business.
The companies named in the lawsuit include:
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- Analytics Labs, in Holyoke
- Assured Testing Laboratories, in Tyngsborough
- CDX Analytics, a Salem-based lab closed in 2024
- Green Analytics, in Framingham
- Green Valley Analytics, in Holyoke
- Kaycha Labs, in Natick
- Massbiolytics Corp., in Dracut
- Safetiva Labs, in Westfield
CDX Analytics closed last year, while Green Analytics was formerly Steep Hill.
In the lawsuit, MCR said the labs were operating in a way that was "unfair, unlawful, and deceptive."
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"Defendants artificially inflate Total THC Potency in tests of their customers' cannabis products; and/or ignore 'safety fails' in test results — manipulating tests for product batches that contain contaminants such as yeast and mold, lead, and pesticides that are banned or restricted under Massachusetts law, so that the test results will not show the presence of these unlawful contaminants," the lawsuit read.
This lawsuit comes in the wake of a report from the Worcester Business Journal, cited in the lawsuit, which referenced that the Cannabis Control Commission's chief of research found oddities in the testing data from the agency.
The Massachusetts CCC recently alerted consumers that marijuana products from two separate licensees may be potentially contaminated.
Yeast, mold and coliform bacteria were detected on marijuana products and failed compliance testing, but were sold by retailers and medical marijuana treatment centers between May 31, 2024 and Jan. 23.
In a separate instance, another batch of products subjected to additional compliance testing was found to be contaminated with yeast and mold. The products were sold by retailers between Sept. 18 2024 and Jan. 30.
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