What is the risk patients may face if they if they consume medicine that is not tested by a laboratory that complies with Oregon law and administrative rules?
The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program was created to assist patients in receiving legal protections for access to the treatment of medical marijuana. The program allows patients to grow their own medicine or designate a grower that can grow medical marijuana for them. The new dispensary law was designed as an additional option to the program, to assist patients who cannot grow their own medicine or find someone to grow it for them.
By offering this additional option, the Oregon Department of Health wanted to ensure that patients had even more protections when they donate for medicine from someone that was not their grower or caregiver. In Governor Kitzhaber’s signing letter, he clearly stated that the purpose of the dispensary bill was to “ensure the overall safety of our communities” and “allow patients safe access to marijuana.”
The safety of our communities and safe access to medical marijuana require regulations, such as testing of medicine. The rules have clear guidelines as to what must be tested, limits for testing, as well as requirements for laboratories that provide the testing.
These testing requirements are meant to protect patients from donating for medicine that is contaminated with pesticides or molds and to aid them in better understanding the strength of their medicine.
Many patients have compromised immune systems, as well as other health concerns. Patients who consume medical marijuana that has not been properly tested can hurt their health and compromise their well-being. Knowing whether your medicine has been tested by a reputable laboratory is essential to protecting one’s health.
Patients and Caregivers have power!
Patients and Caregivers deserve to consume medicine that complies with testing requirements!
In order to protect yourself or your patient, ask facilities about their process for testing. Ask them the name of the laboratory that tested the medicine. Ask if you can visit the laboratory to see what their testing processes and standards are. If a laboratory makes up a reason why you cannot visit, ask yourself why.
While it may feel frustrating watching the donation price of medical marijuana rising, make sure you are getting what you are donating for. Ensure that the facility that assists you in access to medicine is truly giving you medicine that complies with the rules that are made to protect patients and that are made to protect you.
We, at Green Leaf lab, are here to answer your questions. We welcome patients to visit our laboratory and meet our staff. We want you to see our procedures and processes.
We want patients to feel confident that medicine they consume that is tested by Green Leaf Lab is held to rigorous standards that follow the Oregon law and administrative rules.
We want you, as a patient, to know that your health and safety is our concern and that we are committed to integrity in our testing process.