States issue health advisories | cannabis
The Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) of the Colorado Department of Revenue has issued a health and safety advisory warning consumers about unsafe levels of yeast and mold in retail marijuana flower produced by Beddor Claude LLC dba Chronic Therapy.
The advisory, issued on November 23, warned that products obtained from harvest batches produced by Beddor Claude contained levels above acceptable limits for yeast and total mold or were potentially contaminated.
Contaminated or potentially contaminated packages bear the number Harvest Batch, Silver Mountain 9.14.22. and were sold between Sept. 2 and Oct. 1 from the Beddor Claude facility at 10030 W. 27th Ave., Wheat Ridge, the advisory says. They also hold Retail Marijuana Cultivation License 403R-00287.
Regulators advise consumers who purchased any affected product to destroy it or return it to the retail marijuana store where they purchased it.
Anyone experiencing adverse health effects from consuming these products should seek immediate medical attention and report the matter to the Division of Marijuana Enforcement by submitting a MED Report Form found at sbg.colorado.gov/marijuana-enforcement.
Symptoms may include coughing, nausea, vomiting, congestion or sinus pain and drainage. According to Healthline, these symptoms are generally mild, but people who are allergic to mold or those with weakened immune systems may suffer more serious health consequences.
The state advisory lists more than 250 specific products that are potentially contaminated. To view the list, visit sbg.colorado.gov/marijuana-enforcement and click on Health and Safety Tips.
Legal pot and crime
Rising crime rates are commonly cited by opponents of marijuana legalization. It was a point raised frequently during the recent campaign against Ballot Issue 300 in Colorado Springs. The measure, which aimed to legalize recreational marijuana, was defeated in the Nov. 9 election.
A study by researchers from UCCS and Boise State University, however, concludes that the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington was not associated with changes in crime index rates.
Dr. Alexis Harper of UCCS and Cody Jorgensen of Boise State University compared crime data in the two states from 2010 to 2019 using synthetic control analysis, a statistical method used to estimate the effect of an intervention using a control group synthetic for comparison.
In the study, published on November 2, 2022, in Journal of Drug Issuesresearchers looked at rates of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and theft.
They conclude that legalization in both states “was generally not associated with changes in crime index rates.
“These findings confirm previous research,” say the authors. “Rising crime rates should not be a major concern as more states move to enact legislation for the recreational use of marijuana.
“Instead, benefits to states through harm reduction, increased tax revenue, and more efficient allocation of police resources should be more of a consideration for states when enacting recreational marijuana legislation.”
Torn rats
Rats in India apparently have an appetite for pot, according to police statements filed with a magistrate in Mathura district.
An edible extract of cannabis called bhang it is used in Hindu practices, but recreational weed is illegal in India. The pot seized in the raid is usually kept in police stations.
During a case involving the confiscation of marijuana, Justice Sanjay Chaudhary stated in an order that when the court asked the police to produce the seized evidence, they were told that 195 kilograms (about 430 pounds) had been destroyed by rats.
Police filed a report in another case involving 386 kilograms (about 811 pounds) stating that some of the cannabis “was eaten by rats,” according to a Nov. 24 report by BBC News.
“Rats are small animals and they are not afraid of the police,” said a statement read in court. “It’s hard to protect medicine from them.”
The judge said about 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds) of marijuana seized by police are held at police stations in the district and “all of it was at risk of being infested by rats.”
Chaudhary said the police do not know how to deal with the problem and that the only way they could deal with such “fearless rats” was to auction the drugs to research labs and medical firms. The proceeds will go to the government, he said.
Not everyone is convinced that hardy parasites are responsible for the disappearance of contraband.
A senior police official, MP Singh told reporters that some of the marijuana was damaged by the heavy rain.
This was not the first time that predatory rodents have been accused of consuming large amounts of cannabis.
Eight police officers in Argentina were fired in 2018 after they blamed rats for the disappearance of 1,000 pounds of cannabis from a police warehouse, the BBC reports.
Experts disputed the claim, stating that “if a large group of rats had eaten it, many corpses would have been found in the warehouse.”