Another Denver Marijuana Grow Issues Pesticide Recall

Update: 4 p.m., Monday, November 6: Representatives for Tree of Wellness Inc. say that none of the cultivation's dry buds tested positive for banned chemicals, and that the affected harvest batches will undergo another round of contaminant testing in hopes of clearing it for sales. According to Colorado Department of Agriculture test results obtained by Westword from Tree of Wellness owner Barbara Ruden, the grow's vegetative rooms, flowering rooms and leaf samples tested positive for myclobutinal, but its dried bud and spraying equipment had none detected. Ruden's husband, Larry, says the banned chemical couldn't have came internally, and that the company is conducting further tests to see if the residue came from an outside source.

The CDA, which conducts cultivation inspections and oversees sample testing, declined to comment and could not process a Colorado Open Records Act request, citing an open investigation. The Department of Revenue, the agency responsible for pesticide quarantines and recalls, also declined to comment for the same reason.

Original post:

Another medical marijuana cultivation has seen its products recalled because of potentially unsafe pesticide residues, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue. Issued in ordinance with the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the recall was levied on Denver cultivation Tree of Wellness Inc., which does business as the Colorado Springs medical dispensary Tree of Wellness.

"Affected products include marijuana flower, trim, concentrates, and infused-products. Consumers who have these affected products in their possession should return them to the medical center from which they were purchased so they can be properly disposed of," the recall reads. The products tested positive for myclobutanil, a chemical banned from cannabis application by the CDA.

The same chemical responsible for a recall issued by Little Brown House and Reefer Madness dispensaries last week, myclobutanil is an ingredient in Eagle 20, a fungicide applied to grapes and other agricultural products that's considered potentially unsafe by the CDA and is still debated among cannabis growers.

Products bearing the Optional Premise Cultivation License numbers 403-00664 and 402-00443 are subject to the recall. Find the dates of affected harvest batches and the full recall notice below:
This is the second recall on Tree of Wellness Inc. products since the CDA created its list of banned cannabis pesticides. In October 2016, the Denver Department of Environmental Health issued a recall on products from the cultivation, citing positive tests for the banned chemicals myclobutanil, spiromesifin, spinosyn and avermectin.

The DOR and CDA declined to comment on the situation, saying it was still an open investigation. Tree of Wellness Inc. and the Tree of Wellness dispensary have yet to respond to requests for comment. We'll update this story as we learn more.