The state is taking the unusual step of filing criminal charges against the operators of a Houston cannabis business based on accusations they sprayed potentially toxic pesticides on cannabis plants.
A state environmental crimes prosecutor this week filed misdemeanor charges of pesticide pollution, misuse of pesticide and reckless endangerment against Ron and Lacey Bass and their businesses, cannabis cultivator Calm N Collective LLC and retailer Houston Grass Station LLC.
The charging documents, filed in Palmer on Monday, also indicate plans to charge the couple with falsifying business records, a felony.
Houston Grass Station, located along the Parks Highway, remains open but the state Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office more than a year ago shut down retail sales of cannabis grown by Calm N Collective. A former employee reported the pesticide spraying in October 2019, triggering an investigation by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
Ron Bass at the time said one disgruntled employee sprayed the plants and was trying to frame him for it. The new case marks the first time state prosecutors have targeted a cannabis operation in criminal court, according to Cindy Franklin, the attorney representing the couple, who also says it was employees and not Bass who did any pesticide spraying.
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