Pubdate: Wed, 29 Jun 2016
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2016 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: Meredith Cohn

DOCTORS SEEK TO OPEN CANNABIS LAB

Columbia Group Wants to Test Medical Marijuana to Lessen Danger to Patients

A group of local doctors plans to open a medical marijuana testing 
facility in Columbia to ensure product quality as the state prepares 
to launch its burgeoning therapeutic cannabis industry.

Testing is required by state law for cannabis growers, which 
presented an opportunity for the group of four doctors, led by Dr. 
Andrew Rosenstein, chief of the division of gastroenterology at 
University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.

Rosenstein said the doctors were worried about potential threats to 
some of their sickest patients from contaminants in cannabis that 
could complicate conditions rather than alleviate pain and other symptoms.

"Some of our cancer patients told us they were using marijuana, and 
one of my colleagues came to me and said they are legalizing cannabis 
in the state of Maryland for medical purposes and is there some role 
for us to play," he said. "If patients are going to be using it, then 
people like us need to make sure it's safe, pharmaceutical-grade product."

Maryland still is working out the details of what contaminants labs 
will need to test for, but the regulations will include heavy metals, 
pesticides and microbes such as E. coli that could harm users. The 
labs also will test for potency.

The testing regulations could stave off concerns in other states 
about testing inaccuracies. Health department officials in Washington 
state said they recently tightened rules, citing a need to "better 
protect qualifying patients by regulating medical marijuana products."

But other states have grappled with how to set standards for a drug 
that is still illegal at the federal level and not approved by the 
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Many labs have sought to develop 
their own standards, including Steep Hill Labs Inc., the lab company 
with which Rosenstein's group of doctors is affiliated.

Based in Berkeley, Calif., Steep Hill has company-owned or affiliated 
labs in five other states where medical marijuana is legal, and plans 
to open more. Rosenstein said his group chose to work with this firm 
largely because of its push for uniform testing.

"With cannabis becoming accepted as medicine and therapy in cancer 
treatment, epilepsy and for other known medical conditions in over 30 
states, bringing the highest medical standards to all aspects of the 
industry is critical," Jmichaele Keller, Steep Hill's president and 
CEO, said in a statement.

Keller said Rosenstein's team "will benefit immediately from our 
extensive knowledge of the cannabis plant and our proprietary testing 
technology and, as we work together, we will all benefit from the 
Steep Hill Maryland team's extensive medical knowledge."

Rosenstein said none of the doctors plans on directing patients to 
use marijuana, but the group - two gastroenterologists and two 
pathologists - felt they had substantial experience in testing and 
compliance and that with some business direction they could create a 
successful cannabis lab. Steep Hill Maryland plans to invest between 
$600,000 and $1 million for equipment and property.

Others applauded the efforts to rein in business-friendly testing 
across the country, including Roy Upton, executive director of the 
American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, which has written what he called the 
most widely adopted testing standards.

Upton said all states permitting medical marijuana likely will adopt 
the same testing program eventually, or will develop testing methods 
that produce such similar outcomes that patients will be able to 
uniformly rely on products.

"For now, you can still shop results," Upton said. "You don't like 
the numbers from one lab, go to another. Until there is regulatory 
will and action taken against companies who aren't following some of 
the good lab practices or are falsifying findings, it'll still be the 
Wild West."

Maryland's decision to limit the number of growers will help state 
regulators keep a handle on quality, Upton said.

Del. Dan K. Morhaim, a physician who championed the legalization of 
medical marijuana in the General Assembly, said the state had the 
benefit of learning from other states and has written a number of 
safety measures into the law. Cannabis plants will be tracked with 
technology and there will be a robust list of contaminants to screen 
for. He also expects a push for uniformity in testing.

Researchers also will examine how beneficial medical marijuana is and 
for whom, which also may affect regulations.

"We thought about all of this from the get-go," Morhaim said. "But we 
will never be done tweaking the program because there is new science 
coming along all the time."

Christopher Garrett, a spokesman for the Maryland Medical Cannabis 
Commission, said it's now considering potential testing labs such as 
Steep Hill. They won't need licenses like growers and sellers but 
will need to register. The labs will need to be certified by an 
independent accreditation group to show they abide by accepted 
principles for safety and quality, much as how hospitals are 
certified, he said.

No firms have registered yet, Garrett said. Rosenstein said his group 
is completing the form and undergoing the accreditation process now.

Rosenstein said all of the partners have known each other for years 
and include another gastroenterologist from his practice, Dr. Amin 
Khan, as well as two pathologists, Dr. Charles J. Sailey and Dr. 
Adnan Khan. The Khans are brothers. Marc Rosenstein, who is Andrew 
Rosenstein's brother, and another business executive, Phillip 
Stripling, will help run the business.

They expect to be able to begin testing in about six months, which 
likely will beat the state's timetable for choosing licenses to grow 
or sell cannabis. Products are not expected to be available to 
patients until some time in 2017.

The state commission is reviewing 1,081 applications submitted for 
licenses related to medical marijuana in Maryland, including 146 for 
grower licenses, 124 for processor licenses and 811 for dispensary 
licenses. Only 15 processor and 15 grower licenses are expected to be issued.

Labs such as the local Steep Hill facility will compete for the 
growers' business.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom