Thousands of pounds of marijuana forced off shelves in Michigan’s largest cannabis recall

Tens of millions of dollars worth of marijuana was recalled from more than 400 dispensaries in Michigan because the lab that tested the cannabis produced inaccurate or unreliable results, according to the state’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA).

It’s the largest recall in state history and involves thousands of pounds of flower and edibles tested by Viridis Laboratories and Viridis North, which were launched by three former cops. All marijuana products tested by Viridis between August 10 and Nov. 16 were recalled, except for inhalable concentrates such as vape cartridges, live resin, and distillates.

State regulators said the investigation is ongoing, and they could not comment on the preliminary findings.
Dispensaries are now stuck with large amounts of marijuana that must be retested or destroyed.

John Fraser, the Michigan team leader of Dykema’s cannabis law practice, says some dispensaries may be forced to close because a large portion of their inventory was tested by Viridis. For one dispensary he talked to, 80% of its inventory was recalled.

“It’s been a nightmare,” Fraser tells Metro Times. “This could cause some of these businesses to fail. This could be nothing short of catastrophic.”

Fraser and others in the regulated industry are hoping the MRA comes up with a swift solution to enable dispensaries to expeditiously retest the cannabis. [Read more at Detroit Metro Times]