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OLCC Issues First Recreational Cannabis Recall for Oregon

By Aaron G. Biros
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On March 18th, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) issued its first recall for recreational cannabis products. The recall, according to the press release, occurred because an unnamed wholesaler sent cannabis products to a retailer before the pesticide test results were entered into the OLCC Cannabis Tracking System (CTS).


Photo: Michelle Tribe, Flickr

The cannabis grown at Emerald Wave Estate, LLC is said to fail a test for pyrethrins exceeding the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) action level (the action level for pyrethrins is 1 ppm). Pyrethrins are a class of insecticides derived from the chrysanthemum flower. Their toxicity varies a lot depending on exactly what organic compound was used, but has an acute toxicity level that is cause for concern. When exposed to high levels of pyrethrins, people have reported symptoms similar to asthma. Generally, pyrethrins have a low chronic toxicity for humans.

The retailer, Buds 4 U LLC, located in Mapleton, OR, issued a voluntary recall for 82.5 grams of the strain Blue Magoo sold between March 8th and 10th. After finding the failed test results in the CTS, the retailer immediately contacted the OLCC. According to The Portland Tribune, OLCC spokesman Mark Pettinger says the retailer was very cooperative in immediately notifying the OLCC. “The retailer was great,” says Pettinger. “They get the gold star.” The Portland Tribune also says the wholesaler who shipped the cannabis prior to test results being entered is Cascade Cannabis Distributing of Eugene. That mistake could be a violation of Oregon’s regulations, leading to a 10-day closure and up to a $1,650 fine.

According to the press release, the rest of the nine pounds in the batch is on hold “pending the outcome of an additional pesticide retest.” The OLCC encourages consumers to check if their products have the license and product numbers detailed in the press release. They advise consumers who did purchase the affected cannabis to dispose of the product or return it to the retailer. The press release also mentions that they have not received any reports of illness related to the tainted cannabis.

Second Oregon Health Alert for Tainted Cannabis with Pesticides.

By Aaron G. Biros
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Three health alerts were issued Thursday, November 4th for contaminated cannabis sold to consumers at North Bend, Salem and Eugene dispensaries. Green-Way Medicinal in Salem and Stonies in North Bend sold two strains of cannabis flower found to have high levels of piperonyl butoxide, an ingredient commonly found in pesticides that acts as a synergist to amplify the effects of certain compounds.

The two batches in question, including the strains Pleeze (batch number G6J0039-02) and Dryzl (batch number G6J0039-01), were found to contain the potentially dangerous chemical at levels of 15.39 ppm and 16.24 ppm, respectively. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) action level for piperonyl butoxide is 2.0 ppm. To see the full health alert, click here.

The dispensary in Eugene, Flowr of Lyfe, sold one strain of cannabis that had levels of the insecticide spinosad over the 0.2-ppm action level. The very popular indica hybrid, Dutch Treat (batch number G6J0018-01), was found to contain 0.9-ppm of spinosad. Though it still tested above the 0.2-ppm action level for that insecticide, it pales in comparison to October’s health alert, where a batch of cannabis had over 200 times the acceptable level of that insecticide. Both spinosad and piperonyl butoxide are considered toxic to humans.oha_logo_lrg

According to the health alert, “All tests were performed by an OHA-accredited and Oregon Liquor Control Commission-licensed laboratory.” It is unclear exactly how or why the cannabis was able to get transported and transferred from the grower to the dispensary and then sold to consumers after failing the pesticide test. According to Jonathan Modie, spokesman for the OHA, they are currently investigating the matter and following up with the dispensaries and growers to find out what happened. “We need to find out how this got transferred in the first place and then sold,” says Modie. “They had access to the test results and should have been able to determine for themselves that these products should not have been sold or transferred.”

“We don’t know, we are still gathering information, there is a risk of civil penalty as well as losing your registration for a dispensary or grower that illegally transferred products that have tested for analytes above the action levels,” says Modie, when asked if punitive measures would be taken. While there are no particular regulations for this scenario in performing a mandatory recall, the OHA is obligated under law to issue health alerts when there is a situation that might affect public health, according to Modie.

“We deal with this with infectious disease outbreaks or during a food borne illness outbreak; if they [the public] can avoid it by hearing from us then we want to get the word out and this is a very similar situation.” For medical patients that purchase potentially contaminated cannabis such as this, it is easy to contact them to have the patient dispose or return the cannabis. Dispensaries are not required to collect information from recreational customers, and most dispensaries do not, which is a major problem when this situation happens, as it has twice in the past two weeks.

“We can never do too much communication,” says Modie. “We will let the public know in any way possible that they should return this product or dispose of it responsibly.”