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.

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