CAPITOLA, CA (SC Sentinel) - Go to the drug store for cold medicine and every package will have extensive information: active ingredients, inactive ingredients, side effects and proper dosage.  Go to a medical marijuana dispensary, on the other hand, and the level of detailed information available is a crap shoot. In some spots there are rows of marijuana strains with names such as "Blue Dream," "Vortex" and "Purple Erkel," but precious little useful information for the patient.

Unlike other medicines, there is no requirement for dispensaries to test their cannabis for potency, chemical composition or dangerous pesticides and mold.  However, a handful of labs in the state have offered testing services to growers and dispensaries who voluntarily participate, and self regulation has picked up steam, according to those in the industry.

Last week, the first such lab in Santa Cruz County opened in Capitola.  SC Laboratories will test marijuana strains for mold, mildew, pesticides and potency. It can tell a dispensary how much of each type of cannibinoid is in the strain, and therefore predict which ailments the strain might be best suited to treat.

"If we are going to treat it as a medicine, or even a food, it should be tested just like anything else," said SC Laboratories lead chemist Josh Wurzer.

The facility looks like any other lab. It is full of expensive, highly sensitive equipment such as powerful microscopes and a mass spectrometer. The only giveaway that this lab is testing cannabis may be the "High Times" magazine on the coffee table and the distinct marijuana aroma.  "Molds and mildew can be very dangerous for an AIDS or cancer patient with a weakened immune system," said Wurzer, one of four partners who launched the lab. "They could get an infection in their lungs."

While most people know of THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary chemical in cannabis with psychoactive effects, lesser known compounds in the plant have various therapeutic effects. Just like cough and cold medicines vary in the symptoms they target, from cough to congestion and muscle pain, different strains of marijuana can be best suited to treat different ailments.  "For example, CBD [cannabidiol] is a non-psychoactive chemical found in marijuana that counteracts THC and can help relieve nausea, inflammation and spasms," said Wurzer, who previously worked at Steep Hill, one of the first California labs to do this type of testing. "A lot of patients don't want the high. With this testing patients can pick something that directly helps their condition."

One of the lab's missions is to help educate the community on how greater knowledge of cannabis will improve its effectiveness and help the industry as a whole.  "Some sort of oversight or quality assurance is necessary," said Ian Rice, partner, marketing manager and son of Ben Rice, an attorney who works with medical marijuana law and also represents the lab. "There is too much indiscriminate cultivation, and patients don't have enough information."

The city of Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz County have ordinances that regulate dispensaries' location and other details, but, like the state law, they do not mandate chemical analysis.  "There's has been a lot of discussion about testing," County Supervisor John Leopold said. "However, there are no standards for testing now, and we need to make sure any testing has the right properties and can be done at an economically feasible price that doesn't increase the cost too much. It would help if the state set of standards."

Different tests must be performed to determine potency and the presence of pesticide and microbiological contamination, such as mold. To perform all three tests on a single sample costs $330 at SC Laboratories.  "The cost would be prohibitive to a consumer, but for the dispensary we are talking about $1 to $2 per eighth of an ounce of marijuana they sell," SC Laboratories partner and business director Jeff Gray said.

SC Laboratories is shopping its services up and down the state, and already counts Granny Purps, the Wo/men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana and the Emerald Cup as clients.  "Before, people weren't doing the testing because they didn't have to get tested, it's not a requirement," said Tim Blake, co-founder of the Mendocino Farmers Collective and the Emerald Cup cannabis grower competition. "But those who do tests are trusted. No one wants funguses and pesticides in their medicine. [California Attorney General] Kamala Harris is calling for regulation as well. Now, people are catching on. If we don't regulate ourselves someone will, or the pharmaceutical companies will take over."Harris has expressed her support for medical marijuana in the past while advocating for increased regulation and scrutiny of what is being delivered to patients.

SC Laboratories is not limiting itself to just marijuana. It is equipped to do soil analysis, will accept samples of any agricultural product for testing and are talking to a winery about their services.

AT A GLANCE - SC LABORATORIES

The lab in Capitola, opened last week, is the first company in Santa Cruz County to provide independent testing for medical marijuana. SC Laboratories can determine the potency of the cannabis, chemical composition and if pesticides or mold are present. Medical marijuana has many chemicals that have psychoactive and therapeutic effects. Through testing, patients are provided more information about each strain of cannabis, and will be able to make more informed decisions on what strain will best help their medical condition.

Service is provided by appointment only.

Contact SC Laboratories at 831 475-1844 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .