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Arizona lawmaker wants medical pot tested for mold and pesticides

The Lake Havasu City lawmaker wants to ensure patients know what they are consuming.

The medical marijuana industry is a new frontier in Arizona and State Sen. Sonny Borrelli wants to make it safer for patients and customers.

The Republican senator from Lake Havasu City is introducing SB 1420, a bipartisan bill that would give the state more oversight into how the plants are cultivated.

“We want to make sure the patients and customers are well protected and well informed on what they are getting. After all it's supposed to be a medicine, so let's treat it like a medicine,” Borrelli said.

SB 1420 would make it possible for the Department of Agriculture to take samples and test them for pesticides and chemicals used to grow the plants.

The Department of Health would be able inspect the facilities for mold and test the integrity of the product in a lab so patients know exactly what they are getting.

“If the dispensary is going to advertise the product is 20 percent THC, we’re hoping the Department of Health can identify and sure it’s 20 percent. If it’s 5 percent, then they will need to relabel that,” Borrelli said.

“Twenty-seven of 29 states have testing regulations regarding medical marijuana,” said Demetri Downing, founder of the Marijuana Industry Trade Association of Arizona.

Downing says the bill would bring Arizona up to par with other states where medicinal marijuana is legal.

“While at first you may think the industry is opposed to testing, the industry is really concerned its patients gets what it expects,” said Downing.

SB 1420 took about a year and a half to workout. Borrelli says it is not a “knee-jerk” reaction to anything in particular. The bill also includes improved labeling of products, child-proof packaging and lowering the cost of medical marijuana card fees.

“Arizonans who use medical marijuana in a medical way deserve to have a product that is properly tested, affordable and packaged properly,” said Downing.

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