Section 1000.500  Laboratory Approval

a)         No laboratory shall handle, test or analyze cannabis unless approved by the Department in accordance with this Section.  A list of approved laboratories will be made available by the Department on its website.

b)         No laboratory shall be approved to handle, test or analyze cannabis unless the laboratory:

1)         Is accredited by a private laboratory accrediting organization;

2)         Is independent from all other persons involved in the cannabis industry in Illinois, which shall mean that no person with a direct or indirect interest in the laboratory shall have a direct or indirect financial, management or other interest in a dispensary, dispensary facility, cultivation center, certifying physician or any other entity that may benefit from the production, manufacture, dispensing, sale, purchase or use of cannabis; and

3)         Has employed at least one person to oversee and be responsible for the laboratory testing who has earned, from a college or university accredited by a national or regional certifying authority, at least:

A)        a master's level degree in chemical or biological sciences and a minimum of two years post-degree laboratory experience; or

B)        a bachelor's degree in biological sciences and a minimum of four years post-degree laboratory experience.

c)         Each independent testing laboratory that claims to be accredited must provide the Department with a copy of the most recent annual inspection report granting accreditation and every annual report thereafter.