Jake Holschuh
Audio By Carbonatix
A recall has been issued by the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division for flower sold at approximately eight dispensaries across the state.
According to a health and safety notice issued by the MED on Monday, November 17, two harvest batches of marijuana grown by Phoenix Farmstead LLC should be returned or disposed of immediately. One harvest batch, a strain called Fat Bastard, failed mold, yeast and aspergillus testing, while a separate harvest batch of Grape Ape was grown at the “same time and location as the contaminated batch,” leading MED investigators to label it “potentially contaminated.”
Phoenix Farmstead could not be reached for comment, but the MED notes that the company collaborated in the process and the recall was voluntary.
The flagged marijuana was sold at recreational dispensaries from June 25 to November 1 of this year, according to the MED, which has posted a list of the eight stores that reportedly stocked the Phoenix Farmstead strains. All Phoenix Farmstead marijuana will have this grow license number on the packaging: 403R-01339.
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“Individuals who possess this affected product should destroy it or return it to the store from which it was purchased for proper disposal. Individuals who experience adverse health effects after consuming the affected product should seek medical attention immediately and report the event to the MED by submitting a MED Reporting Form,” the health and safety notice reads.
According to MED ownership records, Phoenix Farmstead is located in Moffat, where outdoor cultivation is popular. Phoenix Farmstead also provides cannabis for pre-rolled joints under a brand called Ript. No pre-rolls or Ript products are mentioned in the recall, however.
This is the second marijuana recall in just over a week and the thirteenth issued so far this year by the MED, which announced a new retail marijuana surveillance program in October.
A collaboration with the state Department of Public Health & Environment, inspectors working under the new marijuana surveillance program have been instructed to appear without notice to collect samples of dispensary products across the state, which are then tested for contamination and potency to evaluate “accuracy” of labeling. Data collected from the project is supposed to be compiled for a report that will highlight cracks in Colorado’s regulatory safety and tracking system.
