Article by: By: Anna Williams, A2LA Senior Accreditation Officer
As the legalization of cannabis continues to be adopted by more and more states across
America, it is important to ensure that the public can be confident in the end product that they use. A2LA is engaged in ensuring quality and compliance in this industry, as evidenced by our ever-growing presence in industry groups, influence on state regulations, online and in-person training, strategic partnerships, and publishing free educational content. In order to demonstrate why accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 is important in the cannabis industry, as well as why A2LA’s cannabis testing laboratories have chosen us as their provider of accreditation, we sought feedback from Mr. Myron Ronay, CEO of BelCosta Labs.
Can you give me a summary of your company?
BelCosta Labs was founded in 2017 with the premise of providing quality, consistent, and accurate analytical testing to the Cannabis industry. BelCosta Labs was one of the first cannabis labs in Southern California. We offer all cannabis testing required by the State of California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control.
How did your company get involved in cannabis testing?
Based on what happened in other states we knew that lab testing was going to be an area that was going to be a bottleneck in the supply chain. We built an amazing science team from within the cannabis space, as well as outside the industry, to develop our laboratory methodology and systems.
Why did your company initially choose A2LA over another accreditation body?
We knew that A2LA held themselves to the highest standards and has actual experience in laboratories. We knew that the assessors that came to assess our lab would challenge us to ensure we hold Quality Assurance to the highest standards. We want to be legally defensible as cannabis testing evolves into a mature industry. Going the easier route would not ensure that we were compliant.
What are some reasons why you have remained an A2LA customer?
We hold ourselves to the highest standards in the industry, and we expect our accreditation partner to hold themselves to these standards as well. We are not a company that is willing to cut corners and, in an industry that is rampant with inexperience, we knew that the only way to hold our feet to the fire was to challenge ourselves to be accredited and continuously accredited by A2LA.
What is one piece of advice you would give to a potential or current cannabis testing laboratory as they look into accreditation?
I would advise the lab that as this entire industry develops into a standard regulated industry, it is not worth the time and effort they put into building a laboratory to cut corners on accreditation. Challenge yourself to ensure you provide accurate, repeatable results.
