A St. Louis cannabis cultivator this week denied “all allegations of any wrongdoing or violations” as it acknowledged Missouri regulators were investigating the company.
The state probe of CAMP Cannabis, which grows marijuana flower at its facility on the 7100 block of North Broadway in St. Louis, was apparently triggered by a whistleblower who accused the company on Friday of pushing out moldy weed to consumers that had not undergone a state-mandated testing.
Kimberly Jenkins, a former lead post-harvest technician for CAMP Cannabis, said mold, russet mites and a viroid damaged crops before she recently left the company.
In September, employees packaged moldy marijuana and sent it to Starbuds dispensaries in University City and Festus, Jenkins told the Post-Dispatch and state cannabis regulators.
She said the shipment of a strain that was called “Joscotti Wine” sold out fast due to cheap prices, and that she knew personally the product “came from the bins of moldy Marijuana buds.”
“The director and a few employees masked and goggled up and sifted through the moldy buds and then proceeded to weigh out and package, seal and ship out that weight to” the Starbuds dispensaries, Jenkins wrote to the state. She said the product wasn’t tested and “wouldn’t pass even if it was.”
Missouri regulations require state-licensed labs to test marijuana products for four types of Apergillus mold known to cause illness in humans.
A spokeswoman for the Division of Cannabis Regulation has not responded to requests for comment on the investigation.
Chris Chesley, co-owner of Starbuds, said the allegations were “definitely concerning,” but that his staff inspects everything that comes into the store because the company buys in bulk and sells weed “deli style” instead of in individual packages.
“I’m not aware of any issues or anything coming up that would indicate that something was wrong,” he said. “Everything that we have is presumably tested like the state requires.”
In a statement to the Post-Dispatch, Nigel Stobart, CEO of CAMP Cannabis, said the company looked forward to quickly being cleared in the matter.
“CAMP is confident that any further inquiry will inevitably show that this grievance has been generated by one disgruntled former employee and is without any merit,” he said in a statement.
“Our cannabis has passed the state’s rigorous testing requirements, ensuring that it is safe, legal and compliant,” Stobart said. “In fact, the dispensary that received this cannabis, Starbuds, was satisfied with the quality and appearance of the product and didn’t have a single complaint from any of their customers.”
In addition to mold, Jenkins said a russet mite infestation was brought in from outside marijuana plant clones. Plants were also infected with Hop Latent Viroid, or HLV, Jenkins said, which reduces yield and potency in cannabis crops.
Jenkins also said workers operating a trimming machine were directed not to use a vacuum that had sucked up particulate matter, and that employees who worked on the device have had to call in sick due to respiratory issues.
Jenkins recalled a specific instance where she pulled 3,600 grams of mold waste, or about 8 pounds, from a harvest of the Mandarin Cookies strain.
Jenkins said a manager who has since left told her, “you know that 3,600 grams of mold of Mandarin Cookies that you cut out?’ And I said, ‘yeah.’
“He said, ‘Kim, I (expletive) you not, we pulled it out of the bin that was never even tested, we bagged up and sent it to Starbuds.”
The state probe of CAMP Cannabis, which grows marijuana flower at its facility on the 7100 block of North Broadway in St. Louis, was apparently triggered by a whistleblower who accused the company on Friday of pushing out moldy weed to consumers that had not undergone a state-mandated testing.
Kimberly Jenkins, a former lead post-harvest technician for CAMP Cannabis, said mold, russet mites and a viroid damaged crops before she recently left the company.
In September, employees packaged moldy marijuana and sent it to Starbuds dispensaries in University City and Festus, Jenkins told the Post-Dispatch and state cannabis regulators.
She said the shipment of a strain that was called “Joscotti Wine” sold out fast due to cheap prices, and that she knew personally the product “came from the bins of moldy Marijuana buds.”
“The director and a few employees masked and goggled up and sifted through the moldy buds and then proceeded to weigh out and package, seal and ship out that weight to” the Starbuds dispensaries, Jenkins wrote to the state. She said the product wasn’t tested and “wouldn’t pass even if it was.”
Missouri regulations require state-licensed labs to test marijuana products for four types of Apergillus mold known to cause illness in humans.
A spokeswoman for the Division of Cannabis Regulation has not responded to requests for comment on the investigation.
Chris Chesley, co-owner of Starbuds, said the allegations were “definitely concerning,” but that his staff inspects everything that comes into the store because the company buys in bulk and sells weed “deli style” instead of in individual packages.
“I’m not aware of any issues or anything coming up that would indicate that something was wrong,” he said. “Everything that we have is presumably tested like the state requires.”
In a statement to the Post-Dispatch, Nigel Stobart, CEO of CAMP Cannabis, said the company looked forward to quickly being cleared in the matter.
“CAMP is confident that any further inquiry will inevitably show that this grievance has been generated by one disgruntled former employee and is without any merit,” he said in a statement.
“Our cannabis has passed the state’s rigorous testing requirements, ensuring that it is safe, legal and compliant,” Stobart said. “In fact, the dispensary that received this cannabis, Starbuds, was satisfied with the quality and appearance of the product and didn’t have a single complaint from any of their customers.”
In addition to mold, Jenkins said a russet mite infestation was brought in from outside marijuana plant clones. Plants were also infected with Hop Latent Viroid, or HLV, Jenkins said, which reduces yield and potency in cannabis crops.
Jenkins also said workers operating a trimming machine were directed not to use a vacuum that had sucked up particulate matter, and that employees who worked on the device have had to call in sick due to respiratory issues.
Jenkins recalled a specific instance where she pulled 3,600 grams of mold waste, or about 8 pounds, from a harvest of the Mandarin Cookies strain.
Jenkins said a manager who has since left told her, “you know that 3,600 grams of mold of Mandarin Cookies that you cut out?’ And I said, ‘yeah.’
“He said, ‘Kim, I (expletive) you not, we pulled it out of the bin that was never even tested, we bagged up and sent it to Starbuds.”
