John Schroyer
Nevada marijuana regulators suspended their second business license of the year on Thursday, when the state’s Cannabis Compliance Board announced it was temporarily yanking the cultivation and production permits for The Hempire Company over various broken rules.
The company, which operates in the small town of Tonopah in central Nevada, had two cultivation permits and two production permits suspended by the CCB effective Nov. 1, the agency announced in a press release.
“While investigating suspicious Metrc activity and insufficient camera coverage, Board Agents discovered cannabis extract outputs which exceeded the amount of cannabis utilized,” the CCB stated in a release. “CCB agents determined failed or untested cannabis may have been combined with passing lots and sent to extraction. CCB agents also discovered approximately 180 packages missing from cultivation, 10 packages missing from production, and two large bags of usable cannabis in the dumpster.”
CCB agents also found that there were zero working security cameras in areas where cannabis was being dried and cured, that marijuana was being cured outside with no environmental controls, and “other significant deficiencies at the facility.”
Hempire will need to submit a plan to the CCB outlining how it will correct the issues identified before it can regain its permits, and it won’t be allowed to restart operations until state officials have confirmed the problems have been cleared up.
The first license suspension this year came in January, when Helping Hands Wellness Center Inc. had its cultivation and production permits suspended over allegations that employees were diverting product to the illicit market. In April, the CCB voted to lift the suspension, an agency spokesperson confirmed.
