CBD Producer Sued for Fabricating Test Results
Lifted Made, an Illinois-based cannabis company, is being sued by a testing lab over claims that it altered product testing reports.
According to Accelerated Analytical Inc., an accredited cannabis testing lab in neighbouring Wisconsin, 24 of its reports on Lifted’s CBD products have been altered to better match the CBD content on the product labels.
One other label for a Lifted cannabis pre-roll listed its THC content at 0.1 percent. Yet Accelerated says it found the same product to contain 0.5 percent THC, which is over the 0.3 percent threshold permitted by the Controlled Substance Act.
Seeking to eliminate these alleged false reports, Accelerated filed a complaint in the Western District of Wisconsin on May 11.
The missing tests
According to the complaint, Lifted sent over 40 product samples to Accelerated for cannabinoid profile testing in late August 2019.
By September, Accelerated’s scientists had conducted the tests and produced 41 certificates of analysis (COAs) to detail the products’ contents.
But, in April of this year, Accelerated says it discovered different COAs attributed to the lab on CBD Pharm’s website.
At least 24 of these COAs have been altered, the lab company claims.
“The COAs for the products set forth in Paragraph 41 (the “Altered COAs”) were primarily altered to increase or decrease the purported CBD content in each product to more closely match the CBD concentration advertised on the product label,” reads Accelerated’s complaint letter.
As well as the CBD products, one cannabis pre-roll joint product – named Stormy Daniels – is also being falsely marketed, according to Accelerated.
The lab company says it recorded the pre-roll’s THC content as 0.5 percent – over the legal 0.3 percent threshold permitted by the Controlled Substance Act – yet the actual product label claims its THC levels are at 0.1 percent.
Accelerated also claims several other COAs attributed to the lab company have been entirely falsified. These documents supposedly show the contents of eight Fresh Bomb CBD products and a signature from an Accelerated employee. But Accelerated’s representatives claim they never tested the products.
Cannabis in court
Accelerated’s complaint accuses Lifted of falsifying documents and deceiving consumers through false advertising.
The Wisconsin lab company also warns that any customer who has bought a Stormy Daniels pre-roll has inadvertently purchased a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
Accelerated claim it has lost repute and profits due to the alleged infractions.
The company is now seeking a jury trial of all issues.
Analytical Cannabis reached out to Lifted Made for comment, but representatives did not immediately respond.
