Laboratory Testing

1. Law
2. Illinois Compiled Statutes
3. PUBLIC HEALTH
4. Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
5. Laboratory Testing

(410 ILCS 705/Art. 50 heading)

Article 50.Laboratory Testing

 

(410 ILCS 705/50-5)

Sec. 50-5. Laboratory testing.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the following acts, when performed by a cannabis testing facility with a current, valid registration, or a person 21 years of age or older who is acting in his or her capacity as an owner, employee, or agent of a cannabis testing facility, are not unlawful and shall not be an offense under Illinois law or be a basis for seizure or forfeiture of assets under Illinois law:

• (1) possessing, repackaging, transporting, storing, or displaying cannabis or cannabis-infused products;
• (2) receiving or transporting cannabis or cannabis-infused products from a cannabis business establishment, a community college licensed under the Community College Cannabis Vocational Training Pilot Program, or a person 21 years of age or older; and
• (3) returning or transporting cannabis or cannabis-infused products to a cannabis business establishment, a community college licensed under the Community College Cannabis Vocational Training Pilot Program, or a person 21 years of age or older.

(b)(1) No laboratory shall handle, test, or analyze cannabis unless approved by the Department of Agriculture in accordance with this Section.

(2) No laboratory shall be approved to handle, test, or analyze cannabis unless the laboratory:

• (A) is accredited by a private laboratory accrediting organization;
• (B) is independent from all other persons involved in the cannabis industry in Illinois and no person with a direct or indirect interest in the laboratory has a direct or indirect financial, management, or other interest in an Illinois cultivation center, craft grower, dispensary, infuser, transporter, certifying physician, or any other entity in the State that may benefit from the production, manufacture, dispensing, sale, purchase, or use of cannabis; and
• (C) has employed at least one person to oversee and be responsible for the laboratory testing who has earned, from a college or university accredited by a national or regional certifying authority, at least:
• (i) a master's level degree in chemical or biological sciences and a minimum of 2 years' post-degree laboratory experience; or
• (ii) a bachelor's degree in chemical or biological sciences and a minimum of 4 years' post-degree laboratory experience.

(3) Each independent testing laboratory that claims to be accredited must provide the Department of Agriculture with a copy of the most recent annual inspection report granting accreditation and every annual report thereafter.

(c) Immediately before manufacturing or natural processing of any cannabis or cannabis-infused product or packaging cannabis for sale to a dispensary, each batch shall be made available by the cultivation center, craft grower, or infuser for an employee of an approved laboratory to select a random sample, which shall be tested by the approved laboratory for:

• (1) microbiological contaminants;
• (2) mycotoxins;
• (3) pesticide active ingredients;
• (4) residual solvent; and
• (5) an active ingredient analysis.

(d) The Department of Agriculture may select a random sample that shall, for the purposes of conducting an active ingredient analysis, be tested by the Department of Agriculture for verification of label information.

(e) A laboratory shall immediately return or dispose of any cannabis upon the completion of any testing, use, or research. If cannabis is disposed of, it shall be done in compliance with Department of Agriculture rule.

(f) If a sample of cannabis does not pass the microbiological, mycotoxin, pesticide chemical residue, or solvent residue test, based on the standards established by the Department of Agriculture, the following shall apply:

• (1) If the sample failed the pesticide chemical residue test, the entire batch from which the sample was taken shall, if applicable, be recalled as provided by rule.
• (2) If the sample failed any other test, the batch may be used to make a CO₂-based or solvent based extract. After processing, the CO₂-based or solvent based extract must still pass all required tests.

(g) The Department of Agriculture shall establish standards for microbial, mycotoxin, pesticide residue, solvent residue, or other standards for the presence of possible contaminants, in addition to labeling requirements for contents and potency.

(h) The laboratory shall file with the Department of Agriculture an electronic copy of each laboratory test result for any batch that does not pass the microbiological, mycotoxin, or pesticide chemical residue test, at the same time that it transmits those results to the cultivation center. In addition, the laboratory shall maintain the laboratory test results for at least 5 years and make them available at the Department of Agriculture's request.

(i) A cultivation center, craft grower, and infuser shall provide to a dispensing organization the laboratory test results for each batch of cannabis product purchased by the dispensing organization, if sampled. Each dispensing organization must have those laboratory results available upon request to purchasers.

(j) The Department of Agriculture may adopt rules related to testing in furtherance of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 101-27, eff. 6-25-19; 101-593, eff. 12-4-19.)

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