PRESS RELEASE
For more information, please contact:
Adam Gouker
A2LA Accreditation Manager
A2LA Accredits First Cannabis Testing Laboratory in Washington State
May 10, 2017, Frederick, MD – A2LA is proud to announce the accreditation of the first Cannabis testing lab to ISO/IEC 17025 in the state of Washington. The Washington State Department of Agriculture-Chemical and Hop Laboratory located in Yakima, WA finalized the accreditation process on May 3, 2017. The laboratory has been assessed to ISO/IEC 17025 – General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories and is currently able to test multi residue pesticides in Cannabis and other matrices.
“WSDA sought this accreditation to ensure our clients can have absolute confidence in our testing methods and lab results. The information we produce drives enforcement cases and policy decisions. We want to do everything that can be done to make sure our data is reliable,” stated Mike Firman, manager, WSDA Chemical and Hop Laboratory.
The A2LA Cannabis Accreditation Program establishes a standard of quality for the testing of cannabis and cannabis-derived products, including hemp, oils, and hash concentrates. Currently, a significant number of states, where cannabis has been legalized for recreational and/or medical use, specify or encourage laboratory accreditation to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. Because each state’s specific requirements for cannabis testing tend to vary, A2LA is focused on working with state regulators to establish consistent regulatory requirements, and to offer accreditation to any specific state requirements, if necessary. These efforts help to ensure that A2LA accreditation offers the highest level of recognition and provides the most value to the testing lab and to users of these products.
“A2LA is excited to play such an important role in the accreditation of Cannabis testing laboratories and is pleased to see ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation expanding into additional states,” stated A2LA General Manager, Adam Gouker. “Priority must be placed on ensuring that Cannabis products are tested by competent laboratories to convey confidence in the results – a cornerstone which underpins the safety to all end-users.”
A2LA is currently accepting new applications for accreditation from testing labs under the A2LA Cannabis Testing Program. In addition, laboratories that currently hold ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation with A2LA and that are in states where medical or recreational cannabis has been legalized, may expand their existing Scope of Accreditation to include tests in this area. More information regarding the A2LA Cannabis Accreditation Program may be found at www.A2LA.org/Cannabis.
About A2LA
A2LA is a non-profit, non-governmental, third-party accreditation body, offering internationally-recognized accreditation services and training to testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies, proficiency testing providers, reference material producers and product certifiers.
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