According to a February 15 health and safety notice issued by the MED and CDPHE, four different harvest batches grown by Melody and Company Management LLC, which does business as Melody Genetics, have been recalled over mold and yeast concerns. An additional 52 harvests have been recalled for being "potentially contaminated" because they were produced at the same time and location as the contaminated batches, the MED adds.
The marijuana was sold at 28 dispensaries between April 28 and December 7 of last year, according to the recall. All but three of the stores were located in the Denver area, with popular Denver dispensaries such as A Cut Above, Cookies, Golden Meds and Snaxland among them. The MED lists all affected dispensaries in the notice.
Recalled strain names weren't included in the recall, but all marijuana produced by Melody Genetics contains the following license number on dispensary packaging: 403R-00691.
"Individuals who possess this affected product should destroy it or return it to the store from which it was purchased for proper disposal," says the recall notice. "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."
In a statement to Westword, founder and CEO Eric Wardlaw says that Melody Genetics complied with the MED and that he and his cultivation director have addressed the company's issues in the grow and after harvesting.
“Once we realized the issue, we immediately pulled the product off the shelves and it was sent for decontamination or was destroyed. All batches will now be quality-controlled by myself and our director of cultivation," Wardlaw says. "We have refined our quality-control process to completely prevent any further issues. We will continue sending every batch in for testing to ensure all product is clean and free of contaminant. We will continue to improve and do everything within our power to bring a premium product to market.“
Marijuana Aspergillus Recalls
This is the first marijuana recall in Colorado in 2024, but there were eighteen recalls issued by the MED in 2023, all of which were connected to improper testing procedures or improper levels of mold, yeast or aspergillus. A common mold found indoors, outdoors and in marijuana samples, aspergillus can be inhaled through smoke and, in rare cases, can lead to the lung infection aspergillosis.Over two dozen cases of aspergillosis associated with marijuana use have been reported across the country, two of which were fatal (neither death was in Colorado). The MED recently came out in defense of its aspergillus testing protocols, which look for four specific strains of aspergillus, but marijuana industry representatives and at least two lawmakers view the aspergillus requirement as unnecessary and burdensome.
Senate Bill 24-076, introduced by state Senator Kevin Van Winkle, would remove aspergillus from the MED's list of tested contaminants, among a handful of other significant changes to Colorado marijuana regulations. That bill is still in its early stages, however, and hasn't yet had a committee hearing.
