The Puyallup Tribe has finished developing a compact with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and the Liquor and Cannabis Board to open a marijuana testing lab in Tacoma’s Trans-Pacific Trade Center, the same building as the tribe’s new cancer center.
The Puyallup Tribe is one of three Washington tribes taking advantage of a U.S. Department of Justice policy calling on the tribes to submit their marijuana policy plans. Other tribes have elected to open retail stores.
Other tribes, and a number of local universities, have already expressed interest in submitting samples to the new lab. Tribal spokesman John Weymer said the tribe is offering safety, potency, and microbe content tests for holders of state marijuana licenses, but told The News Tribune that the focus will be medicinal cannabis.
“Our tribe feels that the medical aspect of cannabis is very important and as we grow we want to incorporate that into our health system,” Weymer said. Medical marijuana “is where we want to excel,” he said.
The lab will abide by state rules — labs must be properly certified, and must hand over testing results to the state tracking system.
Weyman says the new facility is “Phase 1” of the tribe’s ongoing cannabis development plans.