Back in December, CLN posted an article on mislabeled strains, based on the fact that phenotypes are much more complicated than we realize. But this mixup with Curaleaf is just an unintentional human error on the part of the company. Unintentional or not, those affected have been through quite the ordeal. The facility where the mix-up took place is located in Portland, Oregon, and there are ten lawsuits already settled. The product was CBD wellness drops, but instead of containing CBD, the bottles ended up having THC infused as well.
One unsuspecting fellow was taken by ambulance to the emergency room out of concern he was having a stroke. He experienced more than the average uncomfortable high, including unnecessary surgery, fear of death, unwanted confusion, stress, anxiety, psychosis, discomfort, and distress lasting several hours. Another person suffered unwanted hallucinations, confusion, stress, anxiety, psychosis, discomfort, and distress lasting over 24 hours.
One Idaho resident wants to make his case public to hold the company accountable, and raise awareness of a situation like this not happening again. Ayuba Agbonkhes, an Air Force veteran who served in Iraq, has said Curaleaf has not apologized to him for his unexpected “trip”, trip to the emergency room that is.
“I want them to be better and I want the industry to be better, and I want a safer community.”
Ayuba Agbonkhes
While there are many individuals who enjoy the effects of THC, anyone who is expecting to have the benefits of CBD will have an entirely different outcome. Many users consumed a large amount, thinking it was the CBD they are used to. These cases are extremely unfortunate and point to the very real need for adequate and thorough third-party lab testing of all cannabis products. Not only that, those who are handling cannabis products have to be extremely careful with the labelling, based on what happened with Curaleaf.
Curaleaf acquired Portland-based Cura Cannabis, also known as Select, in 2019. It sold hundreds of mislabeled products through Oregon retailers last year.
The gaffe became apparent when unsuspecting consumers – some of whom had never used marijuana before — began experiencing extreme symptoms of marijuana use. The product labelled as CBD actually contained an extremely high dose of THC, several times the amount that recreational marijuana users typically consume.
Oregon recalled both products in September at the request of Oregon regulators. Curaleaf has said it has changed its manufacturing process to prevent similar problems in the future.