70% of medical marijuana products in Mississippi on ‘hold’ for retesting

A large batch of medical marijuana products in Mississippi have been placed on “administrative hold” as regulators continue testing to clear the products for sale.

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) issued the initial hold on Dec. 21 for products tested by Rapid Analytics, one of two licensed testing labs in the market.

“The specific circumstances leading to the hold remain under investigation by MSDH, but the retesting is to validate results related to the use of pesticides and presence of mycotoxins,” the health department said in a Dec. 27 alert.

According to the Magnolia Tribune, Rapid Analytics indicated the hold affected 70% of the MMJ products on the Mississippi market.

There have been no reports of illnesses related to the impacted products, the agency said.

Cannabis flower will be tested first, followed by concentrates and infused products.

As batches of products are cleared, the holds will lift and the products can be placed back on shelves, according to the health department.

The halted products were originally tested by Rapid Analytics, the Tribune reported.

A spokesperson for the Natchez-based lab told the newspaper that claims of improper testing “are baseless and came from an anonymous phone call.”

In December, Steep Hill Mississippi, the other state-licensed testing lab, alleged that cannabis products sold in gasoline stations and convenience stores in Mississippi contain potentially dangerous contaminants and far more delta-9 THC than allowed by law.

Steep Hill Mississippi representatives said it tested products and found some contained 12%-14% THC and a long list of pesticides.