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It was reported on Reddit and Instagram that legal moldy weed produced by the Multi-State Operator (MSO) 710 Labs was found at the Fresh Elizabeth Dispensary in Union County.
Garden State Collective Founder and Tri-State Harvest Cup winner Neel Patel said he found it with Budtender Ball Budtender award winner Connor Gregory of Hashery in Lodi in North Jersey. Patel said Gregory posted under the screen name “Stinky Moose.”
Patel said that initially, they were very curious about it and wanted to give it a try. He noted they sold out of their first batch that he was eager to try.
“I had been waiting all f**** weekend to get the ounce,” Patel explained.
He told Heady NJ he paid $543 for the ounce of moldy weed. NP said it was an ounce of Persey Randy Watson hybrid. Patel noted “Persy” means it’s supposed to be a high recommended by their staff.
“I’m grabbing for my rolling papers, and he says, what’s that white stuff?” he explained.
“You couldn’t smoke the shit,” Patel added. “We couldn’t smoke a thing from this jar.”
“I asked for the COAs (Certificates of Analysis) from the dispensary. It took them 30 minutes for them to show me,” he said.
“It took 3 hours to process my refund,” Patel noted.
“Even after we told them about the mold, they were still selling it to people until 710 said they’re canceling the drop,” he said.
Patel explained neither company reached out and would not offer a public apology.
He said they explained to him that they are interested in self-recalling the product after he reached out.
“It’s just nuts!” Patel exclaimed.
He noted that while at the dispensary, some consumers said don’t know that weed can get moldy. Patel argued that the mold was likely widespread and could have harmed the whole harvest.
“If I give you a loaf of bread and the first slice has mold on it, what are you gonna do? You’re gonna throw that **** out,” NP argued.
This confirms many rumors and the worst fears of the New Jersey cannabis community. Mold has been an issue for years since the medical marijuana program began in Jersey.
710 Labs does not seem to have a legal New Jersey cannabis license. Instead it is more likely they have a deal where they might have worked on the flower they sell.
According to their Twitter/X profile, they are in California, Colorado, Florida, and Michigan as well as Jersey.
On LinkedIn, they said their mission is to “disrupt the industry through obsessive quality. We believe in quality over everything – quality people, quality thinking, quality expression, quality of life. We believe in open communication and genuine collaboration where everyone has a voice.”
“710 Labs is an award-winning multi-state cannabis brand obsessed with making the richest flavored, organic, small batch cannabis on the planet. We are the OGs that hand select and hunt exotic cultivars from the most renowned breeders,” they claimed.
NP said they have a brand deal with Fresh, which has a dispensary and growing license as Fresh Grow LLC, and deal with 710 Labs.
On their LinkedIn, Fresh Canna says they have a “vertically integrated cultivation & dispensary operation spanning three states. FRESH’s flagship grow is in New Jersey. Other cultivation & dispensary outposts are in Colorado & Delaware.”
So, they are also an MSO.
Mold issues seem more common among flower from MSOs.
In addition to Elizabeth, Fresh Canna also has a dispensary in Eatontown in Monmouth County.
Fresh Elizabeth was unionized by the UFCW labor union.
These issues are piled on the recent news that advocates found mold and bacteria in prerolls but kept the makers anonymous.
Notably, the NJ-Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) is beginning to implement its new cannabis testing lab rules. Now there are more requirements on what needs to be tested and what is not allowed.
In addition, they posted on social media that “The NJ-CRC is committed to product safety and has implemented new testing guidelines to help make cannabis consumers safer. A complaint form and contact information for Office of Compliance and Investigation may be found on our Contact Us page. njcrcgov.info/contact.”
“}]] It was reported that moldy weed produced by the MSO 710 Labs was found at the Fresh Elizabeth Dispensary in Union County. Read More
