OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) An Oklahoma lab says many of the products that it tested show high amounts of mold, yeast, even salmonella in pre-rolls, and this is not the first time.

Havard Industries Lab first sounded the alarm last summer.

They’re concerned that those who should be implementing and checking test samples are not.

“I believe it was 14 samples if I, if I’m remembering correctly, out of the 20 that also had failed from the mold and yeast again,” said Jeffrey Havard with Havard Industries.

In July 2024, affiliate KFOR spoke with Jeffrey Havard about concerns with microbial testing in pre-rolls.

The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) changed the rules and regulations to mandate final form testing.

“We were just seeing if having the regulations change, if it had any effect on reducing or eliminating the failures on these prior samples,” Havard said. “We found that the number was pretty much the same failure rate as we were seeing before.”

They tested 20 pre-rolls that were on the shelves, ready for purchase. 14 came back positive for mold and yeast, two for Salmonella.

“Even though there’s a regulation in place now to do testing of the mold and yeast on these panels, I think it’s going to come down more to like investigating enforcement to make sure that it’s being done, checking the results,” said Havard.

Havard went on to say that they have shared these new findings with the OMMA.

“Communications with the OMMA has been kind of limited overall, but we have presented our reports, we have tried to discuss the topics as much as we can,” Havard said.

KFOR contacted the OMMA, and they declined an on-camera interview, but told News 4 they monitor microbial testing through a state inventory tracking system.

Licensees have been required to use the state inventory tracking system since 2022. If microbial tests are incomplete, the status of the product in the state inventory tracking system is “Testing in Progress.” Only products in “Test Passed” status in the state inventory tracking system can be legally transferred or sold to dispensaries and then sold to patients. It is illegal to sell untested or failed products in a dispensary. 

Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority

Havard says the pre-rolls that came back positive for mold and yeast were marked “test passed.”

He worries the state isn’t doing enough to confirm its own test results before sending products to the market.

“I think it’s going to come down more to like investigating enforcement to make sure that it’s being done, checking the results,” Havard said.

We monitor state inventory tracking data and conduct inspections of licensed labs. Inspections involve a review of the lab’s adherence to OMMA regulations, which include quality control and quality assurance. In June 2024, more specific testing standards, including microbiology, were implemented following guidance provided by a statutorily mandated (House Bill 4056) collaboration between OMMA and licensed laboratories in 2023. These standards provide more specifics in OMMA rules regarding quality control of testing methods. Read more about this here.

Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority

Last November, the OMMA unveiled plans for a lab to provide more accurate testing. It was supposed to take about 90 days to get things up and running.

KFOR asked about the status of the lab.

The lab will be fully operational this year, with a goal of testing 400 samples per month. Our first instrument, the HPLC is on-site with more instruments being delivered in the coming days and weeks. The lab is fully staffed and construction is complete. 

Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority

KFOR also asked if the lab is operating at any capacity right now, and when it will be fully operational, but did not hear back.

In the meantime, Havard says they will keep doing their own tests.

“By doing these public reports like we’re doing and putting the data out there, that it’s actually giving information and bringing awareness to the fact that, like there a problem in these particular types of products,” Havard said.

Havard said they have also been communicating with state lawmakers to try and incorporate better legislation to address the issues with microbial testing.