The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy has issued an advisory for five different strains of medical cannabis sold by MarijuanaVille after testing found unsafe levels of pesticides.
The advisory followed a complaint from a patient who reported an adverse health reaction after using a cannabis concentrate purchased at the company’s Waterville store. Testing revealed unsafe levels of the pesticide bifenthrin, according to the state.
After the complaint, six additional batches of concentrate were tested. The test results for five of the six batches showed varying unsafe levels of several other pesticides.
The strains of concentrates sold by MarijuanaVille and confirmed to have unsafe levels of pesticides include “Denty Honey,” “Orange Kush Breath,” “Pineapple Mimosa,” “Raw Honey,” and “Sexy Sally.”
These products contain varying unsafe levels of eight different pesticides, including bifenthrin, chlorfenapyr, cypermethrin and pyridaben.
MarijuanaVille has 12 medical cannabis retail locations across Maine: in Alfred, Augusta, Bangor, Gardiner, Lewiston, Newport, Orland, Readfield, Waterville, Wilton, Winslow and Unity.
About the advisory
Unlike Maine’s recreational cannabis program, the state does not have the authority to issue mandatory recalls in the medical cannabis program. The advisory is intended to notify patients rather than require the removal.
The medical program is also not subject to the same mandatory inventory tracking or contaminant testing requirements as the adult use program. As such, OCP is limited in the amount of information and detail it can provide in this advisory compared to its adult-use cannabis recall notices.
The Office of Cannabis Policy said it will continue to investigate this incident to identify sources of contamination; however, the limited inventory recordkeeping requirements in the medical program hinder that effort.
Like other medical cannabis and cannabis products in Maine, none of the concentrates sold at MarijuanaVille were required to be tested for contaminants, and none had been. According to the Office of Cannabis Policy, MarijuanaVille has expressed a willingness to protect patient safety and agreed to voluntarily remove the contaminated products from its stores.
Safety
The Office of Cannabis Policy says inhaling cannabis containing unsafe levels of pesticides can cause respiratory irritation, neurological effects and flu-like symptoms.
Any patient who has ingested these products and is experiencing symptoms or adverse reactions should contact a healthcare provider immediately or dial 911 if there is a medical emergency.
