Massachusetts Regulators Approve Testing Labs, Moving First Pot Sales Closer

Massachusetts marijuana regulators have approved licenses for two independent testing labs, a move that could help clear the way for the first retail pot shops in the eastern U.S. to open soon.

The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday voted to license CDX Analytics, of Salem, and MCR Labs, of Framingham, pending final inspections and other conditions.

Massachusetts’ recreational marijuana law requires that all cannabis products be tested for any possible contaminants before they are sold.

While the commission has licensed more than a half-dozen stores to sell recreational pot, they cannot open until the labs are operating.

It’s among several factors that have been holding up retail marijuana sales in Massachusetts, which had originally been targeted to begin on July 1.