Vermont Recalls Contaminated Weed After Man Gets Sick, Board Suggests State Gets Its Own Testing Lab

The chair of the Vermont Cannabis Control Board is suggesting state lawmakers support a state cannabis testing laboratory, following a recent incident when a batch of contaminated cannabis flower reached the shelves and consumers.

State Sen. Dick Sears, (D-Bennington) chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, said he backs the effort to finance a state lab. “State-run is probably the best way to do it,” Sears said as reported by VT Digger. The senator added that the Senate Appropriations Committee is reviewing a proposal to fund such a lab in the Budget Reconciliation Act.

What Happened

Last week, the cannabis control board ordered a recall of all marijuana flower from Holland Cannabis, a cannabis farm in Holland. How was it discovered that something was wrong with Holland Cannabis’ flower? A consumer who bought it at The High Country in Derby began to feel sick after smoking it. He reported nausea, stomachache and a headache.

Holland’s recalled cannabis was previously sold at five retailers: Zenbarn Farms in Waterbury, Lamoille Country Cannabis in Morrisville, Capital Cannabis in Montpelier and The Green Man in St. Johnsbury, according to James Pepper chair of the Vermont Cannabis Control Board, writes the outlet.

“We pulled everything off the shelf,” said Brian Fisher, owner of The High Country. “At this point, we’re giving out refunds to anyone who still has any Holland product.”

Fisher added that Holland Cannabis flower was bought with a certificate on analysis revealing only a trace amount of a forbidden pesticide, myclobutanil. According to him, the certificate showed .001 parts per million of myclobutanil, “which is basically clear.”

Pepper confirmed that the batch bought by the High Country was first found to be clean, but when the board sent out samples from the same lot after reports of someone feeling ill, the results were different.

“Clearly, when we took samples, they were not clean, so that’s why I think this next round of testing will be important,” Pepper said.

At the moment, the board is collaborating with Bia Diagnostics in Colchester, but Pepper highlights that the testing turnaround time is slow. It took three business days to test the contaminated batch. He added that the state’s own cannabis testing lab could cut the turnaround time in half.

Cannabis In Vermont

Recreational cannabis sales in Vermont are relatively new – they officially launched in October. In the first month, marijuana shops sold $2.6 million. Vermont legislators took fully two years to sign off on retail cannabis sales and more than four years after they’d agreed on personal cultivation and possession. 

As with every new market, these kinds of bumps in the road are expected. This is happening in more mature markets as well. For example, in December Oregon state regulators recalled over 22,000 cannabis concentrate products due to the potential presence of pesticides.

Photo: Courtsy of Budding on Unsplash