California cannabis brand West Coast Cure voluntarily recalls several products

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West Coast Cure, one of the largest California cannabis brands engulfed in a monthslong pesticide scandal, has voluntarily recalled at least 20 products that contain impurities.

The products, packaged and manufactured by Shield Management Group or Alkhemist DM, which operates as West Coast Cure (WCC), were recalled for “potential adulteration,” according to a notice posted by the state’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC).

The recalled products include pre-rolls, all-in-one vape devices and vape cartridges sold in 280 retail locations across the state.

Nearly all the products were packaged at least a year ago, which is a common shortcoming related to recall alerts industrywide, according to a recent MJBizDaily analysis highlighting the challenges retailers face in pulling such products from the shelves before they’re sold to customers.

‘No admission of wrongdoing’

Orange County-based WCC did not respond to an MJBizDaily request for comment.

But in a Tuesday news release, WCC reiterated that all its products passed compliance tests, a position it has expressed for months to media outlets such as MJBizDaily.

The company said state regulators have continued inquiries about various products that were linked to illegal pesticides in a Los Angeles Times/WeedWeek report in June.

“Rather than continue to drag the matter out, West Coast Cure has decided to put it to rest and voluntarily recall all of the remaining products,” the company said in a statement posted on its website.

“WCC understands that there are self-interested people who may try to spin this decision in a negative light. But make no mistake: this decision is not an admission of any wrongdoing.

“West Coast Cure continues to dispute all allegations made by people who WCC believes are doing this for financial gain.”

Several more WCC products were in the process of getting recalled by the Department of Cannabis Control, sources with direct knowledge of the situation told MJBizDaily.

Ongoing concern in California

The developments have eroded confidence in the world’s largest regulated marijuana market and renewed concerns about the reliability of lab testing, cultivation practices and the state’s required track-and-trace system.

In the past few months, the DCC has issued several recalls of West Coast Cure products, primarily for allegedly containing the banned pesticide chlorfenapyr, which typically is sprayed directly on leaves to combat caterpillars, fungus gnats, mites and other pests.

WCC’s parent company last month filed a petition to dismiss a class action lawsuit that claims the operator skirted state regulations and sold unsafe vape products that contained banned pesticides.

Chris Casacchia can be reached at chris.casacchia@mjbizdaily.com.

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