One of the last hurdles standing in the way of retail cannabis sales in Massachusetts is slated to be cleared this week.
The Cannabis Control Commission is expected to vote Thursday to grant final licenses to two, independent marijuana-testing laboratories.
Under law, retail cannabis sales cannot be made until products are tested by a licensed lab. The process of licensing these testing facilities has infuriated marijuana advocates who had hoped retail stores would open months ago, as early as July 1.
The final licenses to test adult-use marijuana will go to MCR Labs in Framingham and CDX Analytics in Salem, which both already examine products for the state's medical marijuana market. Their operations are currently under the auspices of the Department of Public Health.
Once the licenses are squared away, the labs will be able to sign off on cannabis products anyone over age 21 can buy.
Earlier this month, the commission issued final retail licenses to two retail stores: Cultivate in Leicester and NETA in Northampton.
With the labs soon to have their final licenses, those retailers could be open to the public in the next few weeks. They too are currently open to registered medical marijuana patients.
The Cannabis Control Commission will allow existing medical marijuana dispensaries to shift up to 65 percent of their inventory to the adult-use market.
This report was originally published by WBUR.
