O’Hara Shipe
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On Friday, the Arizona Department of Health Services issued a voluntary recall of two strains of marijuana sold at dispensaries in Scottsdale and Tucson. Testing found unacceptably high amounts of levels of fungus and lead, respectively, in the products.
A flower strain called “Scrooge,” sold by licensee Eba Holdings, was found to contain the fungus Aspergillus, which can cause allergic reactions and infections and is especially harmful to people with pre-existing conditions.
Though the dispensary associated with Eba Holdings in health department records appears to be out of date, the address matches that of The Mint’s location on Manzanita Drive in Scottsdale. The batch number associated with the tainted strain is 250310S-100. It’s possible the product is also sold in other dispensaries.
The other recall involved the SAINTS dispensary in Tucson, whose “Saints Bruce Banner” strain of flower tested positive for lead. Lead poisoning can lead to serious health problems like fatigue, headache, nausea and vomiting. The batch number of the affected flower is F8BCBN241209.
DHS does not test marijuana itself. Instead, it licenses third-party facilities to perform testing. The department’s announcements about the possible contaminants did not say which facility did the testing.
Both dispensaries have pulled the tainted products from shelves, DHS said. No illnesses have been reported in either recall case. “This announcement is being made out of an abundance of caution,” the department said in a press release. “Consumers who have purchased contaminated products should not ingest, inhale, or otherwise consume them and should dispose of them.”
Neither dispensary immediately answered questions from Phoenix New Times about product sales, whether they plan to issue refunds for the weed or what may have caused it to be contaminated.
