Section 1200.60  Laboratory Approval

a)         No laboratory shall handle, test or analyze hemp unless approved by the Department in accordance with this Section.  A list of approved hemp testing laboratories will be made available by the Department on its website.

b)         In order for a laboratory to be approved by the Department as hemp testing laboratory to handle, test, or analyze hemp, the laboratory shall meet all of the following requirements:

1)         Accreditation to the ISO/IEX 17025 standard by a private non-profit laboratory accrediting organization, or can demonstrate that it has a current working relationship with an accrediting organization and receives final accreditation within one year of applying to be an approved hemp testing laboratory with the Department;

2)         The hemp testing laboratory is independent from all other persons involved in the hemp industry in Illinois, which shall mean that no person with a direct or indirect interest in the laboratory shall have a direct or indirect financial, management, or other interest in a cultivation license or processor registration;

3)         The hemp testing laboratory employs at least one person to oversee and be responsible for the laboratory testing who has earned, from a college or university accredited by a national or regional certifying authority, at least:

A)        a master's level degree in chemical or biological sciences and a minimum of 2 years post-degree laboratory experience; or

B)        a bachelor's degree in chemical or biological sciences and a minimum of 4 years post-degree laboratory experience.

4)         Demonstrates procedures requiring hemp testing adherence to standards of performance for detecting total THC concentration, including the Measurement of Uncertainty (MU), and is registered with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, if registration is required by the USDA.  

c)         Each hemp testing laboratory applicant and department approved hemp testing laboratory that claims to be accredited must provide the Department with a copy of the most recent annual inspection report granting accreditation and every annual report thereafter.

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 119, effective December 23, 2024)