Debra Borchardt
Cannabis companies are cheering a court ruling that will allow the sale of vape products in the state again. Yesterday a Commonwealth Court judge ruled that Pennsylvania medical marijuana companies could resume selling vapes that were taken off the shelves in February in a controversial recall. Earlier this year, the state regulators published a list of over 500 vape products they deemed could not be sold because they did not meet FDA requirements. However, products included in the recall had previously been approved by the state Department of Health for more than three years and the recall specifically focused on medical marijuana vaporization products that contained terpene additives.
Two lawsuits resulted from the recall. According to Law360, “Medical Marijuana Access and Patient Safety Inc., a nonprofit made up of dispensaries, growers, processors, certified patients that use medical marijuana vaporization products, and other industry stakeholders, filed suit against three high-ranking members of the state DOH in February in Pennsylvania state court.” At the time, the court authorized the recalled products to be held in quarantine instead of being destroyed until a decision was reached.
One of the companies affected by the case, Jushi Holdings (CSE: JUSH) (OTCQX: JUSHF) released the following statement:
On behalf of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana patient community, we would like to extend our appreciation to the Commonwealth Court for its thoughtful assessment of the facts and circumstances upon which DOH’s February recall of tested, approved medical marijuana vaporization products containing terpenes was based, and for the subsequent orders issued on June 2 and June 15 allowing responsible operators to again make these products accessible to patients.
In light of the Court’s Orders, impacted products will be back on the shelves of BEYOND/HELLOTM dispensaries today and the shelves of our partner dispensaries across the Commonwealth in the coming days.
After receiving documents and testimony offered by MMAPS, the Court came to the unambiguous conclusion that DOH “failed to present any evidence” of potential harm to medical marijuana patients associated with the recalled products,” noting that the Department did not call any witnesses or present any evidence of patient complaints or adverse events during the preliminary injunction hearing.
Under Pennsylvania law, all medical marijuana products, including the recalled vaporization products, are subject to rigorous, redundant safety and quality testing and Department approval before they can be manufactured or dispensed. As to the recalled products specifically, DOH was neither able to cite a safety or quality testing deficiency nor a single adverse event relating to any recalled products.
“The Court’s June 2 and June 15 Orders are about more than just preserving patient access to tested, approved, and for many patients, effective medical marijuana products – they deliver peace of mind to thousands of Pennsylvanians that health risks cited by the Department could not be substantiated in any way or any extent. In fact, the Court noted the Department itself approved the recalled products for patient use following stringent quality and safety testing and found no evidence of a single adverse event related to any recalled product.” said Jim Cacioppo, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Founder for Jushi Holdings Inc.
