Joe Kline / The Bulletin Carlos Cummings is the co-founder and co-owner of Cannalytical Research in Bend.

Under Oregon Health Authority rules, all cannabis products must be tested for potency, mold and pesticides before dispensaries can distribute them to patients. That’s where cannabis testing labs like Bend’s CannAlytical Research come in.

“Our purpose in the lab is truly for the patients, to make sure they’re receiving quality medicine,” said Carlos Cummings, co-founder and co-owner of CannAlytical Research.

Cummings broke his back when snowboarding on Mount Bachelor at the age of 25. After not getting the results he was looking for from prescription narcotics, Cummings turned to marijuana.

“In hindsight, I was using it medically and not even realizing it,” Cummings said

Cummings was a long-time grower with a background in business, but he didn’t combine his interests until 2014, when he and his partner, Rick Ezrine, opened CannAlytical on Memorial Day.

He said CannAlytical has around 100 clients, which range from medicinal growers, to dispensaries, to extraction experts who develop marijuana concentrate or “wax.” Typically, clients will drop off a sample at the lab, and an employee will take a small sample and categorize it for testing.

While CannAlytical offers a mix of specialized tests, Cummings said the most popular is the “compliance package,” required by the Oregon Health Authority, the state agency that regulates medical marijuana. This includes potency testing for 10 different cannabinoids including THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high, as well as tests for mold and evidence of pesticide use. He said the Health Authority’s limit for mold is 10,000 colony-forming units per gram, while any evidence of more than trace amounts of pesticide is grounds for failure.

“The whole idea is to remove as much of this as possible from the black market; make it legit,” Cummings said.

For cannabinoid testing, the sample is combined with methanol or a similar solvent and placed in individual containers for testing. Those samples are then placed in an instrument that separates the THC from other cannabinoids, helping to generate accurate cannabinoid results. Cummings said the lab typically gets potency results in 24 to 48 hours, while the overall compliance package typically takes three to four days.

“I’ve been told we do have the best turnaround time locally,” Cummings said.

Prices vary by test, with a mold screening costing $50, while a compliance test can cost up to $150.

Though there are two other cannabis labs based in Central Oregon and a handful of labs in the Willamette Valley that offer pickup service to other parts of the state, Cummings said his staff’s commitment to customer service and explaining the process sets CannAlytics apart. Going forward, Cummings hopes to offer a consultation service for marijuana growers and medical marijuana patients in addition to their testing and existing research.

“There’s a lot more to this cannabis plant than anybody really knows,” Cummings said.

—Reporter: 480-678-3357, shamway@bendbulletin.com

Q: What does the certification process look like for cannabis research labs?

A: Carlos Cummings: Currently, the state of Oregon has a lab certification process, but it’s not specific to cannabis labs. In addition to the state-level certification, there is that ISO 17025 certification — that’s an internationally recognized certification for laboratories. That process of becoming ISO-certified is typically a one- to three-year process.

Q: How do you anticipate recreational marijuana affecting your business?

A: We honestly don’t anticipate much increase, because at that point there will not be a place to legally purchase cannabis in the state of Oregon. We do anticipate a bit of an increase probably by about this time next year; that should be the time when most of the new dispensaries for (recreational usage) should be ramping up.