MOORHEAD — The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy announced Friday morning, April 21, that it recently detected mold growing in bottles of THC syrup produced by Moorhead-based Northland Vapor.
Additionally, the board also revealed Friday that it is concerned that the same syrups contain far more THC than is legally allowed in Minnesota. According to bottle labels, the syrups contain 700 milligrams of THC per bottle. Minnesota law allows for 5 milligrams of THC per dose or 50 milligrams of THC per package, meaning the bottles would have contained 23 milligrams per dose and been 14 times the legal limit had they been sold in the state.
The findings trace back to an ongoing inspection and civil lawsuit against Northland Vapor. The suit was filed in December 2022 and names Northland Vapor Moorhead LLC, Northland Vapor Bemidji LLC and Wonky Confections LLC as defendants.
The lawsuit alleges that Northland Vapor tampered with and sold THC products over the legal limit at shops in Minnesota.
During an inspection of its production facility, the board placed an embargo on numerous products, meaning those products could not be moved, sold, given away or destroyed without permission.
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Court documents state that the company continued to sell embargoed products, however, a filing from Northland Vapor attorney Tyler Leverington dated April 17 calls that claim into question. The memorandum states that inspectors ran out of embargo labels and instead delivered a verbal embargo to company employees. By not using physical labels, Leverington believed the embargo fell short of what is required by law.
Also in the lawsuit, the board claims that Northland Vapor failed to provide adequate testing results from their products. THC manufacturers are required "to submit representative samples of the product to an independent, accredited laboratory to certify the product complies with the standards adopted by the board," a press release stated. Additionally, testing must follow accepted industry standards and confirm the product does not contain mold, pesticides, heavy metals and other prohibited substances, the release continued.
Northland Vapor temporarily closed its Moorhead shop in March.
In unveiling the latest findings, the Board of Pharmacy stated that mold spores are common but some are more dangerous than others. Mold can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems, the release stated. Further, some mold can produce mycotoxins and alfatoxins, poisonous substances that can cause illness.
The Wonky Weeds bottle containing mold offered instructions saying to "shake well before use." Doing so would spread the mold further into the product, the board's press release stated.
Leverington, in a statement provided to The Forum on behalf of Northland Vapor, called the board's findings into question.
"The board’s hyper-aggressive approach toward small business owners is giving the state of Minnesota a black eye. We aren’t sure why, but it seems they decided to make an example out of a small, family-owned business rather than pursue bad actors with more resources. Perhaps they thought a small business in outstate Minnesota would be more likely to roll over, giving the Board a political win to tout in Saint Paul? Time and time again, the Board has exceeded its legal authority and gone out of its way to destroy the reputation of Northland Vapor. This morning’s press release is yet another example. Six months ago, the board placed certain products under embargo; now, they are shocked to find some products may have mold. This is no different than locking a grocery store for six months and pretending to be shocked when you open the doors and find moldy bread on the shelves," Leverington wrote.
"It is also worth noting that the items referenced by the board were pulled from a box of products already intended for destruction because of packaging defects. The products were not part of Northland’s inventory awaiting transportation or sale to customers, a fact conveniently omitted by the board. This is a non-story spun to make Northland Vapor look bad. The real question is: why is the state going so far out of its way to publicly smear the reputation of a small business? Is this what small business owners need to expect if they do business in Minnesota? I sure hope not, but actions speak louder than words," Leverington concluded.
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Information for consumers
On Friday, the board urged the public not to consume and discard Wonky Weeds products. Those who have adverse effects from consuming Wonky Weeds products are advised to seek emergency medical treatment, call 911 or call their local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
If children consume Wonky Weeds products, the board advised that members of the public immediately seek medical care rather than wait for symptoms to appear.
The board also asked the public to report adverse events with Wonky Weeds or other cannabis products to the Food and Drug Administration via MedWatch.
Consumers can find more information on cannabis products in Minnesota by visiting the Board of Pharmacy’s website or by reviewing Minnesota Statutes section 151.72.
The Trust Project
