A third class-action lawsuit has been filed in Canada over tainted medical cannabis sold by Mettrum Ltd., the Globe and Mail reports. The lawsuits stem from patients consuming products that might have contained banned pesticides which allegedly caused them to fall ill.
The new suit is filed on behalf of a Nova Scotia man who claims he became violently ill after consuming medical cannabis purchased from Mettrum, which is federally licensed to sell cannabis products in Canada. The suit follows two others that name Mettrum and OrganiGram Inc. as defendants, which also claims that plaintiffs became ill after smoking tainted medical cannabis products.
In those cases, which involve military veterans, the claimants allege that they experienced a variety of symptoms, including trouble breathing, painful rashes, abdominal pain, and nausea and vomiting, which forced many to seek emergency medical attention.
Scott Wood, a former military policeman who says he was exposed to the tainted products but has not joined the lawsuits, is leading an independent investigation into the potentially tainted products and has obtained evidence from about 100 people who fell ill after consuming the products.
“These symptoms didn’t come out of nowhere. They have to be caused by something,” he said in the report. “How would Health Canada explain so many people with eating [dysfunctions] all of a sudden, who can’t eat?”
Health Canada determined that recalled products were “not likely to cause any adverse health consequences” but has not commented on the proposed lawsuits.
All three suits are seeking court certification before moving forward.
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