AUGUSTA, Maine – The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) is today issuing a Medical Cannabis Patient Advisory for five strains of medical cannabis concentrates sold by MarijuanaVille. MarijuanaVille has 12 medical cannabis retail locations across Maine in Alfred, Augusta, Bangor, Gardiner, Lewiston, Newport, Orland, Readfield, Waterville, Wilton, Winslow, and Unity.
Medical Cannabis Patient Advisory
OCP received a patient complaint in January about an adverse health reaction from cannabis concentrates purchased at MarijuanaVille in Waterville. OCP conducted an investigation that included testing on the concentrate products alleged to have caused the adverse reaction. Those test results showed unsafe levels of the pesticide Bifenthrin. OCP then tested six additional batches of concentrate from MarijuanaVille. Test results for five of six of those batches showed varying unsafe levels of several other pesticides.
The strains of concentrates sold by MarijuanaVille and confirmed to have unsafe levels of pesticides include “Denty Honey,” “Orange Kush Breath,” “Pineapple Mimosa,” “Raw Honey,” and “Sexy Sally.” These products contain varying unsafe levels of eight different pesticides including Bifenthrin, Chlorfenapyr, Cypermethrin, and Pyridaben.
Inhaling cannabis containing unsafe levels of pesticides can cause respiratory irritation, neurological effects, and/or flu-like symptoms. Please visit OCP's website for more information on the toxicity and health impacts of each pesticide detected at unsafe levels in the MarijuanaVille concentrate products listed above. Any patient who has ingested these products and is experiencing symptoms or adverse reactions should contact a healthcare provider immediately or dial 911 if there is a medical emergency.
While OCP has the authority to issue recalls in the Adult Use Cannabis Program, Maine law does not give OCP that same authority in the Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Program. The medical program is also not subject to the same mandatory inventory tracking or contaminant testing requirements as the adult use program. As such, OCP is limited in the amount of information and detail it is able to provide in this advisory compared to its adult use cannabis recall notices.
- While MarijuanaVille has maintained the minimum inventory records required under statute, those records make it difficult to trace products through the supply chain and back to their source. OCP continues to investigate this incident with the desire to identify sources of contamination; however, the limited inventory recordkeeping requirements in the medical program hinder that effort.
- Like other medical cannabis and cannabis products in Maine, none of the concentrates sold at MarijuanaVille were required to be tested for contaminants, and none had been. In light of this incident, MarijuanaVille has expressed a willingness to protect patient safety and agreed to voluntarily remove the contaminated products from its stores.
- OCP is aware of five strains of medical cannabis concentrates that were sold at MarijuanaVille and contain varying unsafe levels of eight different pesticides. Given the limitations within the medical cannabis program, OCP does not have enough visibility into the supply chain at this time to verify if there are other potentially contaminated products in relation to this incident.
About the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP)
The Mills Administration created the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) within the Department of Administration and Financial Services (DAFS) in February 2019. The Office is responsible for the oversight of all aspects of legalized cannabis in Maine, including the Medical Use of Cannabis Program and the Adult Use Cannabis Program.