Curaleaf Facing Lawsuits For CBD Tincture Tainted With THC

Recently, Curaleaf accidentally sold bottles labeled as CBD drops under their Select brand that ended up having THC infused, as well, which is now resulting in a string of lawsuits against the multi-state cannabis company. Michael Lopez is joining Jason Crawforth and Kathleen Menard in filing lawsuits in Oregon against Curaleaf, with all saying they purchased and consumed “Select CBD Drops” that affected them adversely. Oregon regulators reported that a Curaleaf manufacturing facility mistakenly mislabeled hundreds of bottles.

According to Green Market Report, Curaleaf released a statement saying, “After our preliminary investigation, we believe this mistake occurred due to unintentional human error.” Unintentional or not, though, those affected have been through quite the ordeal.

Lopez’s lawsuit states he was “taken by ambulance to the emergency room out of concerns he was having a stroke.” He experienced harm and interference with life activities, “including unnecessary surgery, fear of death, unwanted confusion, stress, anxiety, psychosis, discomfort, and distress lasting several hours.”

Crawforth, who also went to the emergency room after taking the drops, “claimed he needed immediate medical treatment in the Emergency Room and was unable to drive a car. He also said he had unwanted anxiety, acute psychosis, discomfort, and distress.” Menard experienced “unwanted hallucinations, confusion, stress, anxiety, psychosis, discomfort, and distress lasting over 24 hours.”

While there are millions of people around the world who greatly enjoy and benefit from THC, it does not react well or similarly with everyone who ingests it. Speaking of which, ingesting it often produces stronger, longer-lasting effects than smoking it, and ingestion was all three plaintiffs’ method of consumption. Last but not least, these folks thought they were taking CBD and likely took an unprecedented amount of THC if they were following appropriate CBD guidelines when dosing from their dropper bottles. These cases are extremely unfortunate and point to the very real need for adequate and thorough third-party lab testing of ALL cannabis products.

Lopez’s daughter, Susan Lopez-Henri, and granddaughter, Amy Cantu, are also included in the lawsuit. Cantu says she also experienced harm – unwanted nausea, dizziness, tunnel vision, weakness, confusion, discomfort, and distress lasting several hours. Lopez-Henri states that she took the drops and also experienced harm – unwanted confusion, stress, anxiety, discomfort, and feelings of being intoxicated. Lopez-Henri is in recovery and this very unwanted interference with her sobriety and life activities possibly requires her to start a new clean date – a setback that won’t even be her fault but will no doubt weigh heavily, although hopefully, she can continue receiving the help she and so many others are due.

In September, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission issued a mandatory recall for a specific batch of Select CBD Drops “Broad Spectrum” Unflavored 1,000 MG CBD. The tincture was only available for purchase through OLCC licensed retailers.

Now the OLCC has expanded the recall to include Select Tincture 30mL THC Drops – 1000mg Unflavored, also available for sale only at Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) licensed retailers. (We should note here that preliminary OLCC tests of the Select Tincture 30mL THC Drops – 1000mg Unflavored does not contain detectable THC). The OLCC estimates retailers sold about 630 units from June 29, 2021, up until the recent recall. It’s estimated that 130 units remain on the various shelves of retailers selling OLCC.

“We have worked with the [Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission] to recall the two batches in question, and the limited number of remaining units have been removed from sale,” Curaleaf said. “We sincerely apologize to all customers impacted by this mistake, and we will actively return responses from anyone who reaches out.”

It remains to be seen what the long-term effect the lawsuits will have on Curaleaf’s reputation and viability, especially considering that this is far from the first time the company has been in legal hot water.