Oregon Regulator Recalls 1,000 Cannabis Vapes

Regulators in Oregon have recalled over a thousand vape cartridges that were sold in 29 cannabis retailers across the state.

The products had tested positive for two pesticides, piperonyl butoxide and a pyrethrin.

At this stage in the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s (OLCC’s) investigation, it appears that PREE Laboratories, the licensed lab responsible for testing the products, incorrectly stated that the products had “passed” a pesticides test, when in fact the products had “failed.”

Under Oregon Health Authority (OHA) rules, cannabis products like vape cartridges cannot contain more than one part per million (ppm) of pyrethrins and more than two ppm of piperonyl butoxide. The original test results from PREE Laboratories showed that the impacted products contained 1.58 ppm of pyrethrins and 58.7 ppm of piperonyl butoxide.

According to the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system, at least 812 cartridges of two affected products were sold to consumers between June 10, 2022, and January 24, 2023. Around 240 units still remain in the hands of retailers.

The two types of cartridges are branded “Jack Herer” and “Girl’s Night Out” and were produced by Swell Companies Limited.

Image credit: the OLCC.

According to a statement from the OLCC published on January 26, its staff are continuing to work with retailer licensees to remove the products from shop shelves and an investigation is ongoing into the cause of the issue.

Consumers who purchased the recalled products have been encouraged to destroy them or contact the retailer they purchased them from to determine if they will accept a return. The OLCC has not received any health-related complaints at this time from the use of the recalled products.