Curaleaf removes marijuana from NY stores over potency labels, report says

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(This story has been updated with additional comment from Curaleaf.)

Cannabis multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings has temporarily removed medical marijuana products from New York dispensaries after an issue regarding THC potency labeling.

Curaleaf started labeling its marijuana products in New York using “dry weight” rather than “wet weight” in July without approval from New York’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), NY Cannabis Insider reported.

Such a practice makes the resulting THC percentages appear higher, according to NY Cannabis Insider, an arm of The (Syracuse) Post-Standard.

A Curaleaf spokesperson told the publication that dry weight is a standard metric for THC potency testing in neighboring markets and that the switch gave consumers “a more accurate and consistent metric of THC content.”

The company did not say why it did not obtain approval from the OCM before making the switch.

In a statement to MJBizDaily, the multistate operator said that, “in keeping with the guidance from the OCM, the dry-weight potency value will appear on an unofficial basis on COAs (certificates of analysis) from the testing laboratories. … Curaleaf has voluntarily ceased this practice and the dry-weight will not appear on labels going forward until such time as the OCM permits.”

In late July, the OCM reportedly told Curaleaf that dry-weight measurements “cannot be applied to approved product labeling until such time an approved method is available.”

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Curaleaf has temporarily removed some products “to relabel and redistribute with the New York mandated wet weight measurement,” the company spokesperson told NY Cannabis Insider.

The company said it is working with the regulator “to allow our third-party labs to start adding the dry weight THC content to our COAs to mitigate these label concerns going forward.”