Three Massachusetts marijuana companies fined for use of pesticides, control violations

Thee marijuana companies in Massachusetts are facing fines for various violations, including the use of pesticides by two businesses and issues of control that would violate a state cap by the third business.

The Cannabis Control Commission voted unanimously to approve the fines against the businesses, Healthy Pharms, The Botanist and Garden Remedies, during the commission’s monthly meeting on Thursday, which was held virtually. Each of the businesses admitted to the violations, cooperated with the commission’s investigations and agreed to settlements.

Both Garden Remedies and Healthy Pharms have been fined for the use of pesticides.

Garden Remedies use pesticides and falsified three documents to conceal the use of pesticides, said attorney Rebecca Lopez of the commission’s enforcement staff.

Pesticides were found at Garden Remedies’ cultivation and adult-use product manufacturing facility in Fitchburg during a January 2019 inspection. Then, on April 20, 2019, an anonymous employee called the commission to report fraudulent records.

Garden Remedies has agreed to remedies including a fine of $200,000, cease and desist the use of pesticides not labeled for use in cannabis cultivation and submit to a two-year probationary period, agreeing to report any test results detecting pesticides at a level other than “non-detect” to the commission within 24 hours. [Read more at MassLive.com]