Oregon regulators have fielded eight complaints from people who bought CBD drops apparently tainted by THC, the psychoactive ingredient in recreational marijuana.
The buyers reported “paranoia,” “mind fog” and feeling “extremely high,” according to the commission, symptoms not usually associated with CBD.
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission this week ordered a recall of the CBD drops, from Portland manufacturer Select, and is investigating whether the issue was caused by contamination, mislabeling or something else.
“We’re tracing backwards to find the needle in the haystack to find why and how this happened,” said Mark Pettinger, spokesman for the commission’s marijuana program. “There’s a lot of detective work that’s really going on right now.”
It’s apparently the first case of THC contamination in any Oregon consumer product.
“I can’t think of anything similar to this happening in the past,” Pettinger said. Recreational marijuana has been legal in Oregon since 2015, but products containing THC are subject to strict regulation that govern its sale and licensing.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is made from hemp but typically doesn’t include THC. Enthusiasts use CBD as a general wellness product, and it’s widely available in groceries and health food stores.
Oregon ordered a recall of 1,000-milligram bottles of unflavored Select CBD Drops, labeled as “Broad Spectrum.” Pettinger said the state received its first report of a problem with the drops on Sept. 9 from a customer in Idaho who had purchased the drops in Oregon.
“It was one purchaser, who tried the product and had a reaction. And then they shared it with somebody,” Pettinger said. “A second person associated with that party tried it and had a similar physical reaction.”
Because the initial complaint came from Idaho, Pettinger said it took a few days for regulators to retrieve a sample from that bottle and test it. That came back “hot,” Pettinger said, testing positive for high levels of THC. So he said Oregon regulators purchased two more bottles and found they also contained THC.
The OLCC has now found five bottles that tested positive. The recall affects 500 products sold beginning June 19. Stores still had 200 of the recalled bottles on their shelves when the OLCC issued its order this week.
“We don’t know if it’s a mislabeling, a mispackaging. We have to trace it back just like if it was a case of salmonella,” Pettinger said. He said the OLCC will also test for other contaminants, including solvents and pesticides.
“We just don’t know the breadth of the problem,” Pettinger said.
Curaleaf, the Massachusetts company that now owns the Select brand, said Thursday it is still gathering information and working with the OLCC to determine what happened. The company said it has notified all stores that received this batch that it has been recalled.
“The health and safety of our patients and customers remains our number one priority,” Curaleaf said. It asks people who purchased the recalled bottles to contact the company at info.or@curaleaf.com.
The recall is the latest in a long string of problems for Select, also known as Cura Cannabis, that date to the company’s founding with roots in a notorious Lake Oswego real estate scam.
Last year, the OLCC hit Cura with a record $110,000 “dishonest conduct” penalty for falsely claiming that a line of Select vapes contained 100% marijuana.
-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699