Following an “unjustified, prejudiced and retaliatory” cannabis product recall, a lawsuit has been filed against Michigan state regulators by the angry owners of Viridis Laboratories. 

The Michigan cannabis testing lab’s product recall is deemed to be one of the biggest cannabis product recalls in history.

Based on the civil complaint initiated by Viridis Labs, the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MMRA) instigated a product recall in early November. 

According to Viridis’ accusation, the recall was set in motion after the MMRA observed distorted scientific reports. 

Unfortunately, regardless of the circumstances, laboratory officials were not granted an opportunity to resolve the problem or demonstrate the reliability of its results.

About Viridis Laboratories’ cannabis product recall

The  recall included 403 cannabis retailers spread across the state. Collectively, the value of their summoned cannabis products amounted to $229 million. According to one state senator, an estimated 65,000 pounds of medical cannabis products were included in the recall.

Concerns regarding Viridis’ cannabis testing methods led to the product recall, according to a statement published by the MMRA. Specifically, the MMRA noted that Viridis’ techniques were unreliable or inaccurate.

Moreover, the seized cannabis products are believed to have been hazardous to people who suffer from a compromised immune system. Although the MMRA refused to comment on the lawsuit, the lawyers who represented Viridis claim that the agency approached the situation with undue hastiness.

“There is no public health or safety risk justifying the recall at all, and we respectfully request the Court to provide relief to Viridis and bring accountability and oversight to an agency that has far exceeded its authority,” attorney Kevin Blair said.

About Viridis Laboratories’ cannabis product lawsuit against the MMRA

Based on details of the  cannabis product lawsuit,  Michigan’s largest cannabis testing laboratory fell under intense scrutiny after MMRA officials wrongly analyzed Viridis’ product testing results from the lab’s competitors.

Furthermore, the lawsuit argues that state cannabis regulators “moved the goalposts” when Viridis attempted to rectify the situation.

The complaint also highlighted the following MRA violations:

• The agency breached state law and its own administrative regulations by sidestepping normal procedures when shuttering the Viridis Lansing and Viridis Bay City facilities.
• The agency overstepped boundaries by including the cannabis testing lab’s competitors in the investigation, as well as ignored requests to deploy a third party.
• The agency was aware of the competitors’ audit tests results three weeks prior to the recall, thus causing the plaintiffs to speculate on the genuine plausibility of the product recall
• The MRA’s recall was unwarranted and many concerned aspergillus, which Viridis only tested for on a limited scale.

The recall, which was made public on November 17, represents the largest ever to take place in Michigan cannabis history.  It remains uncertain as to whether or not Viridus will succeed in its quest to retrieve its products.