Las Vegas Testing Lab Gets First-Ever Marijuana License Suspension

The very first marijuana license suspension in Nevada has been handed down to G3 Labs LLC by the Nevada Department of Taxation, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. This is the first time a full suspension of a marijuana license has taken place in Nevada, only two months after recreational cannabis became legal on July.

The state’s Department of Taxation verified the suspension, but didn’t specify what exactly the it was for.

Although the license suspension was effective immediately, state officials had yet to issue a recall of any cannabis-related products. No other testing labs or cannabis dispensaries were mentioned in the suspension.

Nevada Department of Taxation spokesperson Stephanie Klapstein told the Review-Journal, “Based on all the information we’ve gathered through the investigation, we’re working with the licensee to address the issues and get them back into compliance.”

Nevada has the strictest marijuana testing regulations in the country. Under existing Nevada state law, dry cannabis flower has to undergo the following testing procedures at a licensed lab before it’s ready for sale:

1. Moisture Content
2. Potency Analysis
3. Terpene Analysis
4. Foreign Matter Inspection
5. Microbial Screening
6. Mycotoxin Screening
7. Heavy metal Screening
8. Pesticide Residue Analysis

It’s unclear how many cannabis companies use G3 Labs for product testing, so it’s hard to estimate the impact this kind of suspension will have on the Las Vegas industry as a whole. And only time will tell if this was an isolated incident, or the start of an increased state-wide policy enforcement now that Question 2 is being fully implemented. 

Nevada has also been making headlines lately about the state’s lack of cannabis policy regarding social use, with the Clark County Commissioners recently rejecting a measure to allow social marijuana lounges. This unfortunately leaves the 46 million tourists who visit Las Vegas each year without places to legally consume recreational cannabis.

These regulatory hiccups are to be expected in the first few months of the new recreational industry in Nevada, as regulators seek to establish order in the Wild Wild West of legal cannabis.

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