‘Moldy’ weed? Study raises red flag over cannabis at New Jersey dispensaries

🔶 Pre-rolled cannabis bought
🔶 Samples tested for bacteria
🔶 THC levels questioned

A secret shopper program by cannabis advocates has raised some red flags about safety and testing of marijuana legally sold in New Jersey.

About two dozen pre-rolled cannabis joints purchased at legal dispensaries around the state were taken to certified labs for bacterial level testing.

Of 25 samples, results found levels for any yeast or mold present, as well as total aerobic bacteria.

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission has an acceptable limit of 100,000 colony-forming units per gram — or CFU/g, for each.

For seven of the samples, those levels were higher than acceptable - in five cases, by three times or more, the Safe Leaf Society reported.

Eight samples were also tested for potency accuracy in THC levels.

In all eight cases, the pre-rolled cannabis tested considerably below the labeled THC level, the same report said.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the state commission said its Office of Compliance and Investigations is investigating the cannabis testing laboratory discrepancy allegations.

Read More: First NJ college offers cannabis studies undergrad degree program

The Safe Leaf Society is a self-billed “independent science watchdog for cannabis safety” co-founded by advocate and medical cannabis user Andrea Raible and Stockton University professor Michael Boone.

“We're not doing this to create controversy. We want to work with consumers, industry leaders, and regulators to make sure that we prioritize safety and integrity,” Raible and Boone said in a collective statement.

They called the broad mislabeling of contamination and cannabinoid levels “shocking.”

Their findings were released just as the state's Cannabis Regulatory Commission rolled out new, refined cannabis testing guidelines.

Now, the test maximum batch size for usable cannabis has decreased by two-thirds — from 100 pounds to 33.07 pounds.

Guidance also includes basic safety testing protocols for “unusable cannabis meant for manufacturing” – tests for foreign matter, pesticides, microbes, mycotoxins and heavy metals.

Labs had until Wednesday to implement sampling changes and until May 23 for “initial and stability” testing changes.

Read More: Check your supply — Hair, insects found with NJ cannabis product

Last year, state regulators announced a recall after human hair and insects were found in a wholesale flower at a Hunterdon County business.

"The new guidelines are the result of rigorous research and collaboration with industry experts and regulatory bodies," NJ-CRC Acting Executive Director Christopher Riggs said in a written release last month. "By enhancing our testing protocols, we're prioritizing consumer and patient safety, product consistency, and industry transparency."

On Feb. 18, the commission voted to approve the new guidelines, replacing those modeled after Maryland's standards.

“If we don't hold cannabis to the same standards as food and medicine we will erode consumer trust. We must have rigorous testing that provides science backed information. These conditions are non-negotiable,” Boone said.

He is a faculty member for Stockton University’s Hemp and Cannabis Business Management program.

Raible said that as a person with multiple allergies, including yeast and mold, such levels need to be more closely regulated.

"The NJ-CRC is committed to product safety and has recently implemented new testing guidelines to prevent sales of products which fail to meet the Commission’s safety standards," the commission spokesperson said in written response to New Jersey 101.5.

"Further, the NJ-CRC is working with other agencies to assist in the oversight of testing laboratories. The NJ-CRC’s Office of Compliance and investigations conducts routine inspections at every licensed cannabis facility and responds to every complaint regarding cannabis product testing and labeling," the official added.

As for illegally purchased cannabis, there is no guarantee that any unregulated cannabis product is free from contaminants or harmful ingredients.

However, rumors about potential fentanyl contamination in cannabis appear to be largely unfounded, according to state regulators in New York.

In October 2023, New York cannabis management officials said “At this time, there have been zero verified incidents of fentanyl ‘contamination’ in cannabis.”

Instead, the dangerous synthetic opioid is frequently mixed with illegal drugs in pill and powder form.

Of "street-bought" pills tested, 42% contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said.

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