A Colorado cannabis manufacturer last week recalled 49 vape products after a third-party lab found they were contaminated with a solvent that could cause cancer.
Manufacturer StayCon voluntarily recalled vaporizers sold under the Maui Wowie and Grape Gorilla brand names, some of which reached cannabis store shelves more than 18 months ago, according to The Denver Gazette.
StayCon’s recall notice blamed a “botanically derived” flavoring compound for the methylene chloride, the newspaper reported.
The lab discovered the solvent about six weeks ago, according to The Gazette. The state Marijuana Enforcement Division has yet to issue its own advisory.
A MED spokesperson said an investigation is ongoing.
What chemicals are in Colorado cannabis vaporizers?
Denver-based Bona Fides Laboratory detected methylene chloride in August during routine pesticide and mold screening, according to The Gazette.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned the solvent for most uses because it can cause cancer.
Bona Fides owner David Mathis told the Gazette he immediately notified StayCon and the state.
The situation also raises questions about Colorado’s ability to detect and stop inversion.
Methylene chloride can also be used to cheaply convert hemp-derived CBD into THC, the Gazette reported.
The hemp-derived product is then falsely labeled and sold as state-licensed cannabis, a practice known as inversion.
Colorado bans the conversion process and prohibits manufacturers from using the solvent.
Mammoth Farms owner Justin Trouard told the Gazette and ProPublica that he suspects StayCon was synthesizing hemp-derived cannabinoids and selling it in the regulated marijuana market.
He provided the news outlets with 2024 test results showing a third-party lab determined a StayCon vape was made from chemically synthesized hemp source material.
StayCon’s lawyer denied the allegation at the time.
What have Colorado marijuana regulators done to stop inversion?
Trouard said he took his findings to the MED, which confirmed it received the complaints.
However, the agency said its own tests did not find synthetically derived THC, so it took no action.
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Regulators say the current investigation is “open, ongoing and unrelated” to the 2024 complaint.
The recall comes amid a stalled rollout of expanded testing rules for methylene chloride and 30 other solvents.
The new rules were set to take effect in July. Twenty-four other states ban the chemical, The Gazette reported.
However, the state public health department requested more time, according to the newspaper.
Implementation is now expected at the end of September.
