by Evan Stambaugh
The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy is accusing three companies of selling THC-saturated edibles in violation of state law.
In a Monday news release, the state pharmaceutical regulators announced a civil lawsuit against Northland Vapor Moorhead, Northland Vapor Bemidji, and Wonky Confections. The pharmacy board claims the companies are producing and selling edibles with levels of THC “far in excess” of state law, which limits THC levels to five milligrams per serving and 50 milligrams per package.
“THC” refers to tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary chemical substance in cannabis plants that leads to a “high” when smoked or consumed. THC edibles have only been legal in Minnesota for around five months thanks to a law that was passed under a cloud of confusion.
According to the lawsuit, over 140,000 packages of “Death by Gummy Bears” at Northland Vapor’s manufacturing warehouse were found to contain 100 milligrams of THC per serving, which is 20 times greater than what the law allows. Many of these packages contained 1,000 milligrams per package, while other packages contained a total of 2,500 milligrams (50 times more than the law allows).
Furthermore, 2,400 packages of Wonky Weeds Gummies contained 30 milligrams of THC per serving and 300 per package, while 2,310 bottles of Wonky Weeds THC Syrup contained 700 milligrams each.
The three companies named in the lawsuit have also been accused of modeling their edible products after gummy bears marketed to children, as well as failing to furnish “required testing results to show whether or not their edible cannabinoid products contain prohibited substances such as pesticides, heavy metals, and solvents,” per the news release.
In addition to the lawsuit, the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy is petitioning for the destruction of over $7 million worth of products and conducting an investigation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after gathering reports of “adverse events” and even one death following consumption.
In a statement to the media, Tyler Leverington, a lawyer representing the three companies, accused the pharmacy board of being “over-zealous regulators … looking to make a splash with their newly adopted law.”
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Evan Stambaugh is a freelance writer who had previously been a sports blogger. He has a BA in theology and an MA in philosophy.
Photo “Death by Gummy Bears” by Death by Gummy Bears.
