New York Cannabis Regulator Removes Yeast and Mold Testing Requirement

Cannabis labs in New York now have a little less to worry about ahead of the state’s incoming recreational market.

The state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has removed the pass/fail limits associated with the total yeast and mold counts for cannabis flower and pre-rolls.

As first reported by Syracuse.com, the OCM made the announcement in an email sent out to state cultivators on Tuesday, November 1.

Cannabis labs in New York will still have to perform the total yeast and mold tests on cannabis samples. But, going forward, there will be no defined limits for unextracted recreational cannabis products.

“It is the responsibility of the licensee to consider these results and any impact to the stability and expiration dating of the product as well as any risks to the health of consumers,” the OCM wrote in the email.

“OCM will monitor these laboratory testing results and licensees may be required to conduct further testing where results indicate concerns with product quality or safety.”

The removal of the total yeast and mold requirement follows recent warnings that many state growers would fail the standard.

Speaking to NY Cannabis Insider recently, Dan Livingston, executive director of the Cannabis Association of New York, called the pass/fail standard for total yeast and mold tests an “existential threat” to New York’s cannabis growers, many of which are outdoor operations.

Now, it appears, the state regulator has heeded the warning and dropped the pass/fail standard.