Searching for answers as DHSS Division of Cannabis recalls 2,600 products in Missouri

Photo Courtesy of Adobe Stock

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) recalled over 2,600 cannabis products from cultivation licensee, NGWMO, LLC—Nature’s Grace and Wellness—that were circulating around the Missouri market.

The reason for their recall stems from the products not complying with proper testing procedures before hitting dispensaries for consumers to purchase. The department’s press release states that this extensive list of products was tested at the unprocessed bud/flower stage, rather than the final marijuana product stage that is required by the state.

While the DHSS has not had any reported adverse health issues related to said products, they do recommend that patients who have purchased any of these substances discard them, or return them to the dispensary where they were acquired. 

The DHSS Division of Cannabis Regulation is now undergoing an investigation on the recalled substances, with no set deadline for completion.

“The Division of Cannabis Regulation is working with the licensee to identify issues that led to non-compliant testing,” The DHSS Division of Cannabis said in an email. “Product that was not compliantly tested will either be destroyed or compliantly tested before resale.”

Once the DHSS reaches a conclusion, they will be poised to conduct some sort of consequence for the cultivation facility for not following the respected regulations. The consequences can jump from a slap on the wrist, such as a fine or restrictions/limitations on licenses, all the way to as thorough as revoking the facility’s license, which they have listed in the Rules of Department of Health and Senior Services Division 100—Division of Cannabis Regulation Chapter 1—Marijuana.

As of right now, the DHSS does not have a very meticulous form of communicating the dangers of these products to Missouri consumers, rather than the release on their website and social media, as well as an email process to patients who have signed up to receive notifications.

In reality, the average individual who consumes cannabis is not searching on the department’s website or social media regularly to be informed on recalled products, nor would they be urged to sign up for DHSS email notifications—Quite frankly, it is not something that the everyday consumer is thinking about when purchasing cannabis.

This obviously creates communication barriers between consumers and the department, which can result in individuals indulging in unsafe substances, possibly leading to adverse health risks.

This is not the first time that the DHSS has had to recall products within the Missouri cannabis industry. Overall, there have been nearly 50,000 total recalls on separate cultivation facilities’ products, as the market has been in development.

On their website, they provide an Excel sheet, listing all of the recalls that have undergone since the DHSS began regulating the plant. They suggest that this sheet can be used for distributors and consumers to evaluate if the products that they hold are being recalled.

“The purpose is twofold. Dispensaries can use this to search for product they may have in-store, and the public can search this file to see if products they have at home need to be discarded,” The DHSS Division of Cannabis said in an email. “These lists are important because there is no other way for dispensaries and consumers to know exactly which products specifically have been affected when a cultivation facility is involved in a recall.”

Without the knowledge that this sheet exists, let alone specific recalls, consumers would struggle to ever become aware of these specific instances, making it urgent that the department find a better way to release this information to the public in a widespread manner.

To consumers, it seems that the DHSS and state as a whole are working diligently to keep harmful products off the market, as this recall comes shortly after Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s Executive Order 24-10, which prohibits the sale of any food that contains unregulated psychoactive cannabis compounds, known to many as delta products.

Regardless of Parson’s executive order, Missourians are now left wondering if they can fully trust the marijuana that they are purchasing from licensed facilities in the state, and what the next steps the DHSS will take to hold NGWMO LLC accountable, as well as future offenders.