People who took mislabeled wellness drops last month ended up ingesting several times the typical dose of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, according to Oregon regulators. The people who took the Select-brand drops had not anticipated getting high at all.
They thought they were using CBD, which has a negligible amount of THC. Manufacturer Curaleaf, one of the nation’s largest cannabis companies, has acknowledged that it somehow confused the two products, and both the mislabeled items are now subject to a mandatory state recall.
At least three people who took the high doses of the mislabeled cannabis products went to emergency rooms and at least one was hospitalized, according to lawsuits filed against Curaleaf. Two people say they were driving when they began feeling the effects of the surprise dose of THC.
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission says 13 people have reported ingesting the mislabeled drops. Adult-use cannabis has been legal in Oregon since 2015, but cannabis products must adhere to strict regulatory guidelines. Curaleaf’s manufacturing blunder now represents a test of whether state regulators can police such mishaps and prevent their recurrence.
“There needs to be a stronger process in place so this doesn’t happen again, because when it did it was terrifying. You don’t know what is going on,” said Amy Cantu, who said she, her aunt, her mother, and her 79-year-old grandfather all had severe reactions to the tainted drops, which they thought contained only CBD. They have jointly sued Curaleaf over the incident.
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