Dustin Newman of Praxis Laboratory in downtown Centralia stands in front of some of the many food, cannibis, water and soil testing apparati inside the lab.
Nestled amongst the many antique shops and restaurants dotting Pearl Street and Tower Avenue is a business featuring cutting-edge science and, occasionally, an odd smell sneaking through the windows.
The Institute of Food Safety & Defense opened up shop at 327 N. Tower Ave. — built in 1913 to house the Farmers Merchant Bank — a little more than one year ago. In November 2017, the laboratory — which tests everything from spinach to stout for contaminants, purity and quality — received I-502 Lab Certification from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board allowing it to test marijuana.
Dustin Newman spun the cannabis testing arm of the business off under the name Praxis Laboratory. Most of the Praxis clients are marijuana producers or processors within Washington State and account for about 30 percent of the testing done inside the building.
“If you think of, like, clinical labs that do blood testing or medical exams, they’re often next to grocery stores,” Newman said. “There’s a testing facility in Olympia next to a Lego store. We have a pretty good relationship with all of our neighbors. If people do knock on the door, they’re more likely to ask if we can test the vegetables they grow in their garden (than have concerns).”
Newman said the most common testing done in the space has to do with shelf-life stability of food products and nutritional supplement companies wanting to ensure their raw ingredients are pure. He was unable to provide specific examples due to confidentiality rules, but said a recent customer asked them to test Cuban-style beans. A facility that handles commercial ice cream products had them inspect their facilities for Listeria contamination.
When it comes to cannabis, Praxis operates within state laws and city codes because it does not fall under the legal definition of a marijuana producer, processor or retailer. No products are sold out of the facility, which is secured with double-locked doors. The lab does not process cannabis products for retail sale or for consumption.
“From my viewpoint as the one who approved it, it’s just a lab,” Centralia Community Development Director Emil Pierson said. “They’re testing lots of different things and started with food testing and spirits. Smoking marijuana in a residential unit is legal in Washington, so if someone wanted to smoke in their apartment, and the property owner is fine with it, they could open a window without a filter, and I think a lot of people forget that.”
The only way most people would know the lab tests marijuana at all is if they walked by while a particularly potent sample was being examined. The smell was much worse when they initially began testing cannabis and hadn’t upgraded the ventilation and air filter system, according to city officials. Marijuana testing facilities are required to use odor control provisions to keep that from happening.
“When they were new in there, there was some escape of odor,” Centralia City Attorney Shannon Murphy-Olson said. “The chief clerk of the (municipal) court could smell it. It seemed like they were really on top of it, told them to get a new filtration system, and they did. I walk by there all the time and don’t notice anything.”
Newman expects the business to continue growing as it expands its list of state accreditations. He’s working on obtaining certification through the state Department of Ecology to do more testing related to water and soil, which would allow the business to take on more municipal and governmental clients. The lab is also investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in new equipment.
“Right now, we’re probably among the most advanced labs in the state as far as cannabis,” Newman said. “But, it’s not going to be our main area of growth.”
