Pa. opens medical marijuana testing labs - including 1 in Trafford - to hemp farmers

Pennsylvania’s hemp farmers will be able to get this year’s crop tested at six medical marijuana testing labs, including one in Trafford, the state announced Thursday.

The move is a partnership between the state Department of Agriculture and Department of Health to give farmers more testing options.

The law requires farmers to test their crops for THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, before harvesting. Anything with more than 0.3% THC is defined as marijuana, and therefore illegal.

Prior to this move, there were only four approved labs in Pennsylvania that could process hemp samples, and an additional nine out-of-state labs accessible to Pennsylvania farmers, according to the Department of Agriculture.

“We’re grateful to the Department of Health for helping to make these labs available to Pennsylvania’s new and growing hemp industry as they work to meet testing requirements during a very tight, critical harvest window,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement.

Pennsylvania has six privately-owned medical marijuana testing labs. There’s only one in Southwestern Pennsylvania: ACT Laboratories of Trafford.

ACT Laboratories did not return a request for comment Thursday.

Finding labs able to process samples quickly has been difficult for Pennsylvania farmers, according to Erica McBride-Stark, executive director of both the National Hemp Association and the Pennsylvania Hemp Association.

She applauded the new partnership.

“The more testing options the better,” she said. “Certainly, the capability of keeping results in state should speed up the process.”

The price of lab tests varies, but usually cost farmers between $75 and $125, according to McBride-Stark.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the initiative will help ensure safe hemp products for Pennsylvanians.

“The laboratories that are part of the medical marijuana program have been key partners in our program, and we believe they will play a key role in assisting the Department of Agriculture as well,” she said.

Pennsylvania this year permitted more than 500 farmers to grow about 3,000 acres of hemp. Although closely related to marijuana, commercial hemp plants do not contain enough THC to produce the “high” associated with marijuana.