Police Confirm Employee Death At Cannabis Facility Was From Natural Causes, Coworkers Still Claim Safety Violations

Julie Devinney is the name of a cannabis employee who died Friday morning at a Green Thumb Industries’ GTBIF facility, a report from Rock Island, Illinois police confirmed. The police report, written by Officer Austin Frankenreider and obtained by WeedWeek also revealed more details about this tragic incident.

Devinney’s supervisor Amy Hermiston disclosed to police that Devinney had breathing problems for a while, often having to leave work early, including the day before the incident. On Friday, she collapsed after performing a mandatory “not-strenuous” pre-shift exercise.

Another employee at GTI, production technician Michael A. Hess was the one who called 911 and told the officer that after completing exercises, Devinney “started gasping for air.” Coworkers administered CPR, but she was declared dead at the scene.

The outlet further disclosed that Friday’s incident marked the 13th time emergency medical services were needed at GTI’s Rock Island facility over the last 18 months, as per the data from the city Fire Department.

Hermiston, also said that “Julie is known to have COPD [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease] and severe breathing problems.” She added, that over the last 12 months, the fire department responded to calls around 3-4 times due to Devinney’s breathing troubles and was often transported to the hospital.

The deputy county coroner Cessna confirmed to the officer that he determined the cause of  Devinney’s death to be from natural causes.

Industry Concerns Remain

Following the news of the incident, the cannabis workers union Teamster raised alarm on safety concerns.

While it’s still too early to conclusively determine the circumstances that led to this individual’s untimely death, what we do know is that there have been significant concerns about occupational hazards at this operation – particularly regarding respiratory health – in the past,” stated Jim Glimco, president of Teamsters Local 777.

The statement came on the heels of Teamsters Local 777 filing additional unfair labor practice (ULP) charges against Green Thumb Industries. Employees at GTI have filed at least five complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) alleging serious safety and health violations, including two complaints that are under investigation at the Rock Island location. GTI has been previously cited by OSHA at other facilities for health and safety violations.

The Rock Island factory is yet not unionized.

While the case of Devinney has been confirmed as a death of a natural cause, the concerns about safety standards within the industry remain. Why?

There are at least two reasons.

The Case Of Lorna McMurrey

The first one is the fact that this is not the first cannabis worker to die during their shift. Last year, Lorna McMurrey tragically died at the age of 27 at a Trulieve facility in January 2022.

Per the report filed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), McMurrey complained that she couldn't breathe presumably due to the cannabis kief (cannabis dust) in the air where she was grinding and packaging prerolls.

In the end, Trulieve entered into a voluntary agreement with OSHA that was supposed to result in additional health and safety protections for the company’s workers at its cannabis manufacturing facilities. Under the agreement, Trulieve agreed to undertake a study to determine whether ground cannabis dust is required to be classified as a "hazardous chemical" in the occupational setting, according to OSHA regulations.

Lack Of Data On Cannabis Dust

The second possible reason for concerns spreading across the marijuana space was also brought up by WeedWeek in a report by Dr. Bill Martin, medical director at corporate medical consultancy Mediprise. In this report, Martin writes that “ground cannabis is a recognized sensitizer and asthmagen, meaning it has the potential to induce allergic symptoms and cause or exacerbate asthma.”

The report further notes that occupational asthma, a potential outcome of sustained exposure to airborne ground cannabis dust could start as a cough, but over time of continued exposure, it could lead to “wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and even potentially fatal outcomes. Given that occupational asthma can be a chronic, debilitating and lethal condition, it is critical employers and employees understand the hazards associated with GCD to prevent the onset of occupational asthma.”

It further mentions a study from 2020 in which 71% of surveyed employees confirmed “work-aggravated symptoms consistent with occupational allergy.”

The report suggests that the industry’s fast development may have “outpaced best practices” in occupational health and safety.

Continue reading on WeedWeek.

Photo: Courtesy of Ryan Lange on Unsplash