rewrite this title and make it good for SEOMassachusetts marijuana regulators issue contamination warning

One month after suspending the license of a testing lab for allegedly clearing contaminated product for sale, Massachusetts marijuana regulators on Wednesday warned consumers to check labels to see if cannabis they purchased is affected.

However, the state Cannabis Control Commission’s Aug. 6 “advisory” is not a recall and informs marijuana customers they “may destroy or return” product tested by Assured Testing Laboratories that was long ago consumed.

According to a June 30 CCC suspension order, Tyngsboro-based Assured “fail(ed) to accurately report” tests for contaminants from April 2024 to April 2025.

In that period, the lab tested roughly 25% of the cannabis in the state and had a fail rate for yeast and mold 90 times below the statewide average, the CCC alleged.

In its “health and safety advisory” Wednesday, the CCC urged consumers to check labels of products in their possession to see if they were tested within that time frame.

Thousands of products affected, but no brands or retailers named

The CCC identified more than 7,500 products by name and Metrc ID tag but did not identify any brands or retailers.

And some of the “affected products” were sold more than a year ago.

That’s consistent with other state regulators, who move too slowly to recall affected product before it’s consumed.

Regulators also put the onus on consumers and retailers to perform any recall.

“Consumers and Patients that possess any of the affected products may destroy them or return them to the licensee where they were purchased for disposal and/or contact them for more information,” the CCC said.

“Additionally, to promote public health and safety, licensees should follow their established policies and procedures to recall any affected products, as applicable.”

It was not immediately clear Thursday whether consumers had returned any product.

Advisory follows allegations, but too slow to recover product

The suspension followed years of complaints across the country that certain labs are manipulating results – including inflating THC potency and clearing for sale cannabis possibly contaminated by pesticides and mold – in other to please customers.

It was the first instance of Massachusetts regulators cracking down on a commercial cannabis testing laboratory.

Assured has since sued the CCC to recover its suspended license.

In comments to the Boston Herald last month, Dimitrios Pelekoudas, Assured’s CEO, insisted his lab “did nothing wrong here, posed no threat to the public, and ensured that no contaminated products reached the market.”