Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post
As the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, Colorado has been a leader in establishing industry regulation to help ensure products are safe for human consumption. More than a decade later, though, gaps in testing oversight still allow contaminated cannabis to reach store shelves.
Over the last five years, investigators fined 41 companies that failed to complete the required testing of their products. In several cases, investigators found unsanitary conditions at the grows, such as mold growing on the walls and ceilings, that they believe motivated operators to intentionally circumvent product testing, settlement documents between MED and the companies show.
Since 2019, the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division, known as MED, has issued 63 recalls for cannabis products contaminated with bacteria, fungus, pesticides, heavy metals or other chemicals above the legal limits.
Though these products are subject to strict testing, regulators have found companies that circumvent the requirements by selectively picking the samples they self-submit to…