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LEENIEBEENIE93 t1_iz7553o wrote

Is RI testing for heavy metals and mold at the same standard as MA? Genuine question. From what I have been told, they do not & I have been buying from MA for that reason. The shit from the Slater has also gotten people sick from a pesticide they use. So I am very weary of RI's cannabis cultivation. Gonna stick with MA til I know for sure they do shit right.

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USMC_Doc8404 t1_iz7862q wrote

RI changed their testing standards and require testing for heavy metals and mold. I recommend going to Mother Earth for your weed stuff.

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zoejo_ t1_iz7yosl wrote

RI currently has some of the strictest testing regulations in the US. Our limits for triggering a failure are much lower than other states.

Also, RI requires on site testing; meaning that a lab agent is required to come into your facility to collect representative samples of an entire batch of product (concentrates, edibles, prerolls, flower), to then bring back to the lab to run all compliance tests. In Mass, someone who works for the grow/processor/dispensary selects a ‘representative sample to bring to a lab for testing. This is somewhat controversial, as it allows the possibility of the sample being altered/not being a truly representative sample of the entire whole (taking only top buds out of a bag to send in for testing to get a higher THC%, or even using a previously tested product that has high THC%, and sending it in as a different, untested product).

Rhode Island also only reports back THC% on their products; THC% = THCa * .0877 + Delta 9. Mass reports TAC (total active cannabinoids), so TAC= THCV + CBGN + CBGA + delta 9 + (THCa * .0877). There are more cannabinoids on the test that get added into the TAC equation. But that’s also why Mass %’s seem higher than RI. Some list 104% or higher in Mass because of TAC

Edit: extra words: While we have some of the strictest testing regs, we only started implementing them 2 years ago, and each test became regulation at different points within those 2 years

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LEENIEBEENIE93 t1_izdzfq6 wrote

Thank you. I was going off of info that was 4 plus years old. Havent looked into since then, really. My cousin used to protest the lack of oversight / quality testing in medical marijuana cultivation at the state house, and I didn't know if they had made improvements. Great to know, and I'm glad they have!

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zoejo_ t1_izfefqk wrote

It definitely has been a problem in the past. We’ve had our medical program 10+ years, and just 2 years ago started requiring testing of products. But compared to Mass and CT regulations, RI’s are much stricter. Especially the count that triggers a microbial failure. Just a heads up, the State does allow dispensaries to remediate and/or extract failed product. So if something previously failed for mold/yeast/bacterial growth; it can get put in a remediation machine and sold to consumers. Or it can get used for extraction.

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