Several medical cannabis products are coming off the shelves in Ohio after state regulators issued the first mandatory recall.
Patients there have been alerted to stop using a line of products made by One Orijin, a marijuana processor that only just began serving the state last month.
On Friday, the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (MMCP) issued the first recall for a product called “Pineapple Express Rosin.” By Sunday, the agency expanded the recall to include a pair of other products from One Orijin: “Blue Boi Z7” and “Afghani #1.”
The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program said there have been no reports of adverse reactions to the products, but that the recall was initiated “due to product development using a non-compliant process.”
“Patients who have purchased the recalled product should stop using it,” the MMCP said in its advisory. “All unused product should be returned to the dispensary where purchased.”
In addition, the MMCP said that any returned products will not count toward the patient’s 90-day limit.
Microbials Not Processed Correctly
According to local news reports, the plants used in the recalled products “contained unspecified types of microbials,” which can be used in products but only if they are processed in a specific way.
Kelly Whitaker, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Commerce, told Cleveland.com that One Orijin failed to process the microbials through an approved method.
Ohio began selling medical marijuana in January of this year — the capstone to an effort that began nearly three years earlier.
Former Republican Gov. John Kasich signed legislation in 2016 that established a regulatory framework for a medical cannabis program, but as in so many other states, the implementation was marked by a series of delays.
The state permits cannabis treatment for patients suffering from a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer the state has sold more than $41 million worth of cannabis products since the medical marijuana program opened for business in January.
Medical cannabis product recalls are hardly unique to Ohio. Neighboring Michigan has had at least two such recalls this year alone. In January, Michigan regulators recalled more than a dozen medical marijuana strains from two dispensaries following lab test failures for mold, yeast and other contaminants.
In August, the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency suspended the license for a processor called Iron Laboratories, and then later recalled four of its products after an investigation revealed that it conducted faulty testing for pesticide and mold in its cannabis products. It marked the first time Michigan issued a suspension to a marijuana business.
