Olney lab one of four in Montana certified to test medical marijuana products

Inside a nondescript building in Olney is one of just four state-certified medical marijuana testing facilities in the state.

Stillwater Laboratories was started in 2017 by Ron Brost, who serves as laboratory director, and Kristine Brost, who is operations director for the company. The lab says it has a commitment to providing cannabis testing with the goal of ensuring safe products are sold to the patients who use them.

“We were the first to be licensed in the state,” Ron said pointing to a list of certification on the wall at the facility during a recent tour. “We were here at the very beginning wondering exactly where the industry was going to go. We took the jump and here we are.”

The lab with state-of-the-art technology provides testing services to providers around the entire state. Almost 20 people are employed by the lab including technicians and couriers, who collect samples across the state then deliver them to the lab racking up more than 300,000 miles driving per month.

The lab is required to be open to businesses across the state and with just four total certified labs in the state, they test products from all across Montana.

Kristine is licensed to practice law in three states and Ron previously worked as a chemical engineer for Apple.

While they had a background of setting up laboratories together, there has been little blueprint for how to run a medical marijuana testing facility. They seem to thrive on tackling the challenge, but Kristine says the patients who use the products are really the focus.

“We know some people who do use medical marijuana and wanting them to have a safe product is important to us,” Kristine said.

“This fits naturally with our aptitude,” Ron adds. “This industry affects so many people. It is so important for patients and providers to have the support from laboratory testing.”

The Montana Medical Marijuana Act passed by the Montana Legislature in 2017 requires medical marijuana testing by state-licensed labs.

The couple already had the building at the time in Olney, and the law provided the opportunity to construct the laboratory designed specifically for marijuana testing.

Inside the lab, technicians work quickly processing upwards of 100 samples in a day with a carefully honed system to ensure samples aren’t confused or cross-contaminated.

As required by state law, the couriers employed by Stillwater collect samples then deliver them to the facility for testing. Reports on the plants or products are completed within four days, but often faster.

The lab tests samples of varies parts of marijuana plants, along with edible food items and bath and skin products, all that contain marijuana. They provide a detailed report for each product tested outlining its potency, and checking for potentially harmful microbes and heavy metals.

Nathan Kosted, policy and quality manager for the lab, points out that the lab provides further testing than required by state law.

“Patient safety is very important to us,” he said. “This is a medical product and it’s very important to us for patients to know what they’re getting with each specific product.”

The lab also analyzes the plant’s terpenes, which they say are the compounds that give cannabis its flavor and character and are also thought to modify the effects of cannabinoids.

Stillwater Laboratories has been open about the methodology it uses for testing. It’s key in such a burgeoning industry, Ron notes, for labs to share information with each other.

“For marijuana there are no standard methods,” Ron says. “Because universities weren’t allowed to work on it for so long, it remains a learning experience.”

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration currently rates marijuana as a schedule one drug saying it has no accepted medical use and high potential for abuse, but Stillwater says that’s not the case.

“None of that is true,” Kristine said. “It’s good to be part of the industry that is changing the perception too.”

Ron notes that because marijuana had been an illegal drug for so many years, the research potential is just beginning for what could be learned about the plant.

Montana voters next month will decide if marijuana should be legalized for recreational use among adults 21 and older. If passed, people would be able to use and grow limited amounts of marijuana for non-medical purposes beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

Stillwater Laboratories says they’ll continue to provide testing for medical marijuana in the future, and would likely see their business increase if the adult recreational use is legalized in the state.

“We’re here to support the industry which ever way it goes,” Kristine said.

For more information on Stillwater Laboratories, visit www.stwlabs.com.