As the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, Colorado has been a leader in establishing industry regulation to help ensure products are safe for human consumption. More than a decade later, though, gaps in testing oversight still allow contaminated cannabis to reach store shelves.
Since 2019, the state's Marijuana Enforcement Division, known as MED, has issued 63 recalls for cannabis products contaminated with bacteria, fungus, pesticides, heavy metals or other chemicals above the legal limits.
Though these products are subject to strict testing, regulators have found companies that circumvent the requirements by selectively picking the samples they self-submit to third-party labs. Testing companies say growers and manufacturers will also choose testing partners based on which offers the most desirable results — a practice known as lab shopping.
Some companies have been caught not testing their products at all. Colorado regulators fined more than 40 cannabis cultivators and manufacturers over the last five years for failing to comply with testing requirements, The Denver Post's analysis of enforcement data found.
Read more at The Denver Post