New York State has paused sales of millions of dollars of top-selling cannabis vapes and pre-rolled joints amid an investigation into whether they were made with legally approved ingredients produced in the state, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.
In a series of orders issued on April 23, the Office of Cannabis Management, which oversees businesses that grow and sell cannabis in the state, directed dispensaries to remove from their shelves mostly vapes and pre-rolled joints from the companies Stiiizy and mfused, among other products.
The orders offered a window into the cannabis agency's investigation of companies accused of pumping weed from unlicensed growers into licensed dispensaries, which is illegal. The Times obtained two of the documents through a public records request and another order from two people with whom they were shared.
The strategy of using unlicensed growers, known as "inversion," undercuts promises that legalization offers consumers a safe supply of cannabis products that can be traced back to local farms. It is a federal crime to transport marijuana across state lines, so legal weed has to be grown and sold in the same state through licensed businesses.
Read more at The New York Times