Missouri Regulators Recall Thousands of Cannabis Products

Regulators in Missouri on Monday issued a notice to recall more than 60,000 cannabis products in the state that were insufficiently processed before hitting the market.

The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation said that it is “issuing a patient and consumer communication to alert patients and consumers about a mandatory product recall” affecting “manufactured products sold to dispensaries and manufacturers by infused product manufacturer, Delta Extraction, LLC, MAN000022.”

According to the agency, the “recalled products were not compliantly tracked in the statewide track and trace system (METRC) in order for [Division of Cannabis Regulation] to verify the products came from marijuana grown in Missouri or that the product passed required testing prior to being sold at dispensaries.” 

Monday’s notice said that no “adverse reactions for this product have been reported to the [Division of Cannabis Regulation] at this time,” but the agency says that all patients and consumers “who have purchased the recalled product should discontinue use.”

“All unused product(s) should be discarded or returned to the dispensary where purchased. Returned products will not count toward a patient’s purchase limit. For more information on returns, please contact the dispensary where the product was purchased,” the notice said.

A complete list of the recalled cannabis products, totaling 62,800, can be found on the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services’ website.

Medical cannabis sales began in Missouri in October of 2020, while adult-use weed sales launched in February.

In May, the state reported that cumulative cannabis sales for both medical and adult-use eclipsed $1 billion.

“Missouri’s newest billion-dollar industry is experiencing significant job growth, providing great products and services to Missourians, and becoming an integral part to the local economy throughout the state,” Andrew Mullins, the executive director of the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, said after the figures were reported. “Missouri has avoided so many of the early hiccups that other states have experienced transitioning from a medical cannabis program focusing on quality, affordability, access and selection. Missouri’s cannabis program could not have gotten off to a better start. A sincere thank you to all the patients, customers, and small business owners that helped Missouri reach this impressive milestone.” 

In the first month of Missouri’s recreational adult-use cannabis market, sales topped $100 million.

Mullins noted at the time that the figure was “more than double what Illinois did in a state with twice the population.”

“So it really shows the interest and excitement for the new adult-use industry in Missouri,” Mullins said earlier this year.

“Canna-tourism folks that may decide to come to Missouri to access and utilize cannabis,” he added. “That seems to also be having an impact on the amount of sales that Missouri’s experiencing.”

Still, product recalls are a fact of any legal cannabis market –– and a reminder of the importance of sound and thorough regulation.

Regulators in Colorado issued a recall last year after detecting “potentially unsafe levels of total yeast and mold and aspergillus on Medical Marijuana flower (bud/shake/trim).”

The Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an advisory in the fall saying they “deem it a threat to public health and safety when marijuana is found to have levels of total yeast and mold and aspergillus above the acceptable limits established.”

“[The Department of Revenue] has identified Harvest Batches of Medical Marijuana produced by [The Living Rose] that were not submitted for testing…Harvest Batches of Medical Marijuana produced by [The Living Rose] were required to be tested by the [Department of Revenue] and were found to contain total yeast and mold and aspergillus above the acceptable amounts,” the advisory said. 

Source: https://hightimes.com/news/missouri-regulators-recall-thousands-of-cannabis-products/