A Michigan cannabis testing lab filed a lawsuit against state regulators over an immense product recall that the lab claims was “unjustified, prejudiced and retaliatory.”
According to The Detroit News, Viridis Laboratories alleged in a civil complaint that the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MMRA) chose to launch a product recall earlier this month based on flawed science and didn’t give the lab an opportunity to rectify the situation or prove its results were reliable.
The recall involved $229 million worth of cannabis products and 403 retailers across the state.
One state senator estimated the recall included roughly 65,000 pounds of MJ products, the newspaper reported.
The recall was prompted by concerns that Viridis’ methods were inaccurate or unreliable, the MMRA said in a statement announcing the recall.
The regulator also suggested that the marijuana products in question could be harmful to residents with compromised immune systems.
The MMRA declined to comment to the News, but Viridis’ lawyers said the agency acted too rashly.
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“There is no public health or safety risk justifying the recall at all, and we respectfully request the Court to provide relief to Viridis and bring accountability and oversight to an agency that has far exceeded its authority,” attorney Kevin Blair said.
The lawsuit alleges the MMRA questioned Viridis’ testing because the agency was using the lab’s competitors to check Viridis’ results for the products that were ultimately recalled.
The suit also alleges that regulators “moved the goalposts” when Viridis tried to remedy the situation.
