New Mexico legalized cannabis in 2021 and has since gained steam, establishing a spot as a top-earning southwestern weed state. As with most legal states, all cannabis products sold by licensed shops now undergo testing to corroborate reported potency. The testing process detects unwanted compounds like heavy metals, mold, microbes, and pesticides. When banned substances are detected, it triggers the New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) to investigate.
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Last week, the state’s cannabis regulatory body issued a recall for dozens of product batches from four businesses. Bud, shake, and trim sold by the brand Maggie’s Farm tested positive for banned pesticides in November 2023. After investigating, CCD requested that Maggie’s Farm producer WH Agriculture, LLC, provide documentation showing each product was pesticide-free.
They could not. This triggered a recall impacting consumers in Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Belen, and Sunland Park. CCD ordered that any affected weed be removed from stores and properly destroyed.
Consumers are directed to check whether Maggie’s Farm products purchased at House of Blaze, R. Greenleaf Organics Dispensary, Loud Cloud LLC, and Everest Apothecary in impacted areas were created with Parent ID #8839486308602637. A total of 30 retailers under these names were impacted. The number of consumers affected is unknown.
This is not the only state reeling from recalls. Nevada regulators were forced to issue multiple pesticide recalls last year after finding products treated with Ethephon. Oklahoma has also been experiencing an onslaught of recalls amid a state-led offensive against bad actors.
Recalls sometimes drive consumers to believe that regulated weed does not work as legalization was meant to stop “dirty weed,” but it proves the opposite. When purchasing cannabis from a neighborhood dealer, there was no indication that pesticides were used, and recalls were nonexistent. Weed recalls in legal states indicate that regulators are doing their jobs. Weeding out faulty procedures or bad actors is part of watching a fledgling legal state fly.
