Authorities in Massachusetts recently discovered a dumpster full of THC oil and cannabis behind a marijuana testing lab. At this point, nobody is certain how all that weed ended up in the dumpster. And the situation appears to violate state laws regarding the disposal of cannabis and cannabis products. Currently, authorities are investigating.
A Dumpster Full of Weed
Last night, police in Framingham, Massachusetts pulled up outside a cannabis testing lab run by MCR Labs. Initially, the cops were there to investigate a car that was parked on the curb outside the building.
But when they started looking around, they quickly discovered something totally unexpected. They found that the dumpster behind the building had tons of usable marijuana in it.
Additionally, there were also numerous vials filled with what cops called a “brown, sticky liquid.” It turns out those vials were full of THC oil.
Reports from local news sources said there were hundreds of these vials in the dumpster. At this point, it’s not clear how much marijuana flower was in the dumpster.
Shortly after cops made the discovery, Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer reportedly contacted the state’s Cannabis Control Board. She asked that the agency looks into the incident.
In particular, Spicer wants to figure out how all that weed ended up in a dumpster. Additionally, her and other local authorities want to know if MCR violated any state regulations, and how the company will address the issue moving forward.
Addressing the Issue
According to Massachusetts state law, cannabis testing labs like MCR Labs are supposed to follow very precise protocols for throwing away any sort of marijuana product.
In particular, labs are supposed to grind up flower so it’s no longer usable. Similarly, they are supposed to render other cannabis products, like extracts and concentrates, equally unusable.
However, from the looks of things, MCR Labs did not do that. For now, MCR Labs said it will cooperate with authorities and the Cannabis Control Commission as they look into the matter.
And it sounds like MCR Labs will continue operating as usual. That is important because MCR Labs currently tests almost all products for Massachusetts’ medical marijuana dispensaries.
“As a high-quality lab that has been responsibly testing the safety and quality of marijuana products since the inception of the medical and adult-use marijuana industries in Massachusetts, we take our work seriously and strive at all times to comply with the important regulations that have been established,” MCR Labs President Michael Kahn said in a statement.
“Following the recent discovery of waste products on our property by the Framingham Police, MCR Labs is cooperating with the Cannabis Control Commission to review the matter. As a matter of policy, we routinely render useless all products that we test.”
He added: “Despite that precaution, we immediately instituted additional protocols requiring the storage of used, tested products inside our building until the time of disposal in accordance with regulations.”
Voters in Massachusetts approved legalizing medical marijuana back in 2012.
More recently, the state launched recreational marijuana retail in November 2018. Within just a couple of weeks, the state’s two recreational dispensaries pulled in $7 million.
