California-based Steep Hill recently became the first Cannabis laboratory starting the ISO accreditation process in Mississippi, reports SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
Steep Hill, one of the oldest medical marijuana testing companies, already has laboratories in nine states, Canada, and Mexico.
Construction of the new laboratory, named Steep Hill Mississippi, will be complete in mid-May as testing instruments and equipment arrive.
The laboratory will test marijuana for THC levels and terpenes along with undesirable elements like pesticides, fungus, and bacteria.
Preparing Since 2020
Steep Hill Mississippi’s CEO and co-founder Cliff Osbon said the process to get started may seem to be moving rapidly. But preparations began back in 2020.
“When the Supreme Court struck [the ballot initiative] down, we were just organizing a group of investors… Even though the Supreme Court struck that down, we continued to negotiate with Steep Hill… to license their name and testing methodologies and be the exclusive licensee in Mississippi.”
Steep Hill Mississippi is now well on its way toward becoming the first medical marijuana testing facility in the state. Osbon believes there will be other testing facilities in the state. He said he believes there should be more than one, reports WLBT.
Relief Coming By End Of 2022
Osbon also voiced his excitement regarding the soon-to-be complete accreditation process. He said patients who need relief the most will finally be able to receive it by the end of 2022.
“As a pharmacist, I’m thankful that patients have that additional option. Medical marijuana is a helpful product to a lot of patients,” he said. “It’s a crying shame that a child with a seizure disorder or someone with a brain disorder or PTSD has not had this option available until recently.
“I’m thrilled it will be available soon,” Osbon said. ”I certainly hope that in the near future all patients that can benefit from medical marijuana will have access to it legally.”
“I would hope that we don’t have to look at more people and say, ‘I’m sorry you just have to suffer’,” Osbon said. ”Almost everyone that I meet that’s in this industry has a personal story and I have a personal story. I have a family member who passed from a brain tumor and they couldn’t have access to medical marijuana when they were in hospice care. Had she been able to have it, her suffering would have been greatly diminished, I believe.”
