Hemp Testing Lab Opens in Former New York Prison

A former prison in Orange County, New York, has been repurposed into the state’s latest hemp and medical cannabis testing lab.

Now run by Kaycha Labs, the 9,000 square foot facility can reportedly test 100 samples a day for heavy metals, microbes, and other key contaminants.

Testing behind bars

Opened on September 4, the new lab is housed in a former medium-security prison, which closed in 2011. 

Following that closure, the Town of Warwick acquired the land and established the Warwick Valley Office and Technology Corporate Park.

Speaking to Mid-Hudson News, the town’s supervisor, Michael Sweeton, expressed Warwick’s interest in the hemp industry.

“We settled very quickly on a hemp development cluster in Warwick,” he said.

According to Kaycha Labs, its new Warwick facility is equipped with “all new Shimadzu equipment” and can provide turnaround testing services for hemp within 48 hours.

The company currently operates eight labs around the US. One of its facilities recently became the first lab in Florida to be awarded the state Department of Health’s certified marijuana testing laboratory status.