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Cannabis grown and sold by wholesale cultivator RRSA, LLC has been flagged for having potentially unsafe levels of mold and toxic heavy metals, according to a health and safety notice from the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement. A recall issued by the MED and state Department of Public Health & Environment on Friday, November 7, states that a harvest batch of cannabis flower produced by RRSA, an outdoor grow based in Ordway, failed tests for total mold and yeast and “exceeded acceptable limits” for arsenic, cadmium and lead. According to the MED, the recalled cannabis flower was sold from September 24 to November 5 at twenty dispensaries in Colorado, most of them recreational stores located in the Denver area. However, one dispensary was in Colorado Springs, and some of the stores also offered medical sales. (The MED has a provided a full list of all twenty affected retailers.) The recalled strain was GG4, also known as Gorilla Glue or Gorilla Glue #4 at some dispensaries. According to the recall, RRSA does not operate with a branded business name, but all flower grown by RRSA should have the following growing license number on its packaging: 403R-01182. “Individuals who possess this affected product should destroy it or return it to the store from which it was purchased for proper disposal. Individuals who experience adverse health effects after consuming the affected product should seek medical attention immediately and report the event to the MED by submitting a MED Reporting Form,” the MED advises. Mold and yeast are common reasons for commercial cannabis recalls, while heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium and lead are often found in cannabis as residual compounds from certain growing nutrients. This the twelfthmarijuana recall issued so far this year by the MED, which announced a new surveillance testing program of retail marijuana in October. Another collaboration with the CDPHE, the cannabis surveillance program launched last month. According to the MED, inspectors have been instructed to appear without notice to collect samples of dispensary products across the state, which are then tested for contamination and potency to evaluate “accuracy” of labeling. Data collected from the project is supposed to be compiled for a report that will highlight cracks in Colorado’s regulatory safety and tracking system.
