A California cannabis consultant is alleging he suffered permanent heart damage after a 2022 laboratory accident at a St. Louis-based marijuana cultivation and manufacturing facility. A St. Louis jury heard opening statements Tuesday in a lawsuit where consultant Mark Avent and his wife, Lisa, are seeking $5 million in damages, arguing the incident triggered a medical emergency that ended his career in the cannabis industry.
The incident in question happened at the facility at 5401 Bulwer Ave., owned by Blue Arrow Missouri LLC, where marijuana is grown and manufactured into products. In 2022, a lab technician accidentally mishandled the commercial vacuum used to clean the lab equipment. The vacuum blew fine marijuana dust particles into the air, and Avent suffered a severe asthma attack.
He was taken to the emergency room and lost consciousness in the ambulance. Doctors inserted a stent in his heart to save him, Meehan said, and he still hasn't fully recovered four years later.
"This was an accident that shouldn't have happened," said William Meehan, Avent's attorney. "It was preventable, and they haven't taken responsibility for it. That's why we're in trial."
Read more at Missouri Independent
