Jacqueline Collins
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Colorado’s marijuana industry was hit by another recall on September 30, with the latest health and safety order affecting thirty dispensaries across the state.
According to the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, hash and infused pre-rolled joints produced by Checker Six LLC, which does business as TS Labs, were found to be contaminated with unacceptable levels of the pesticide chlorfenapyr. TS Labs initiated the voluntary recall, the MED notes.
Chlorfenapyr is an insecticide that has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for ornamental use inside of contained greenhouses, but chlorfenapyr is not approved for use on cannabis plants in Colorado, and has been labeled “moderately toxic” by the World Health Organization.
Two production batches were included in the September 30 recall: TS Labs hash made from the strain Payton’s Punch and infused pre-rolls filled with the strain Spanish Moon. All of the recalled products bear TS Labs packaging and the company’s facility license numbers (404R-00488 & 404-00665).
Approximately thirty dispensaries stocked or sold the recalled products between August 5 and September 25, according to the MED. Most of the stores were in the Denver area, but some were located as far away as Ault, Sedgwick and Winter Park.
TS Labs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Anyone who bought a recalled TS Labs product is advised by the MED to destroy it or return it to the store where it was purchased.
No consumers have reported illness related to the product. However, anyone experiencing “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 recall says.
This is the eleventh marijuana recall issued so far this year by the MED, which recently announced a new surveillance testing program of retail marijuana. A collaboration with the state Department of Public Health & Environment, that program will launch this month, with inspectors appearing without notice to collect samples of dispensary products across the state. The samples will then be tested for contamination and potency to evaluate “accuracy” of labeling, according to the MED. Eventually, data collected from the project will be used to highlight any cracks in Colorado’s regulatory safety and tracking system.
