For many months, marijuana product recalls stemming from the use of prohibited pesticides have been a consistent problem in Colorado, while Washington seemed, for a while, to be free of such concerns. On Friday, however, Washington-based cannabis wholesaler Evergreen Herbal issued the state’s first voluntary pot product recall due to pesticide concerns.
The recall is thanks to unfortunate growing mishaps by two producers — New Leaf Enterprises and BMF Washington — who were recently investigated by the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) for the use of prohibited pesticides.
New Leaf Enterprises, makers of the popular Dama line of cannabis products, has been fined $2,500 for a first violation and was given a temporary stop sale order from the LCB. New Leaf co-owner Boris Gorodnitsky managed to get the stop sale lifted after privately testing his products and the products of several competitors for pesticides. It was shown that the traces of prohibited pesticides uncovered by the LCB were in fact only residual traces inherited from New Leaf’s mother plants, which had been originally sourced from the unregulated medical market, where pesticide control was not as prevalent.
BMF Washington was also issued a $2,500 fine, but an investigation has revealed that the pesticide issues at BMF were much more rampant — of BMF’s 17 pesticides that the LCB investigated, 12 were in fact prohibited and were being used directly as part of the cultivation process.
Evergreen Herbal announced its voluntary product recall via press release on Friday evening. The three products facing recalls are all high-CBD edibles: the Hibiscus Quencher, Strawberry Quencher, and CBD Dark Chocolate 420 Bar. According to the press release, these three products were at one point produced using Dama CBD oil.
Only the Evergreen Herbal products that were manufactured before November 12, 2015 may be affected, but CEO Marco Hoffman believes that — even though most of the affected products have likely already been distributed — it was the responsible decision to stick with a voluntary recall.
In an exclusive interview with Ganjapreneur, Hoffman pointed out that even though these are particularly regrettable circumstances, “I think it’s really important that we realize that no-one has gotten sick…. And how ultra responsible the people in the cannabis industry are.”
“If only every other industry acted as we did, we would live in a completely different world right now,” Hoffman said. “I think they both made honest mistakes and they should be given the ability to learn from it.”
The press release issued by Evergreen Herbal is attached below:
Today, we learned of the article in The Seattle Times regarding prohibited pesticides used in recreational marijuana produced by New Leaf (Dama). We have determined that the only Evergreen Herbal products that may be affected are products that contain CBD oil purchased from Dama. The affected batches were manufactured before November 12th, 2015.
Please note that NO Dama flower, trim or oil has been used in the production for our LoudVape concentrates (Live Resin, Wax & Shatter, and Cartridges). This distinction is important because the CBD Dama Oil was limited to Evergreen Herbal CBD edibles (Hibiscus Quencher, Strawberry Quencher, and CBD Dark Chocolate 420 Bar). According to a Dama representive their CBD oil did not test positive for the chemical. The chemical deemed dangerous, myclobutanil, is most harmful when heated and inhaled. More information can be found here:
Evergreen Herbal, in its commitment to safety and integrity, is issuing a voluntary recall of products containing Dama oil. This is a voluntary recall and no formal recall has been mandated by the WSLCB. The lot numbers for edible products containing Dama oil are listed below. Our commitment to high quality and safe products will continue to be our priority, and we will gladly address all questions and concerns.
Your understanding and patience while we work to resolve this issue is appreciated. Thank you for your continued business and support.
Last Four Digits
Strawberry – 2605, 2476, 1357, 1913, 0605
Hibiscus – 2119, 1788
CBD Dark Chocolate – 5430, 5742, 5429Sincerely,
The Evergreen Herbal team
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