A state judge ordered CCD to hold off on a recall of cannabis products from a local manufacturer.
Last month, the CCD issued a recall notice for four products sold at Got Greens dispensary in Albuquerque. The division said that certain concentrates manufactured by Pharmers Quality Concentrates were found to have contained a “prohibited pesticide.”
Now Pharmers is reportedly suing the division, claiming that the recall was “unlawful.”
According to statements made by the company’s attorney, the pesticide found—malathion—is not officially listed as a prohibited pesticide. It’s also missing from the list of state-approved pesticides for growing marijuana, however.
The company is also arguing that the recall came as a result of voluntary product tests that are not subject to state oversight, and that the products passed all the state-mandated tests required of them when they were manufactured in 2022.
The lawsuit is calling for the recall to be reversed and for the CCD to issue a retraction.
Benally Still Growing
A Navajo businessman embroiled in controversy involving illicit marijuana grows on Navajo Nation land is reportedly still growing the plant, even though the state ordered him to stop.
According to a new report from Searchlight New Mexico, weed producer Dineh Benally has actually expanded his illegal grow operation located near Estancia. In an interview with the online news outlet, Benally called cannabis an “ancestral plant” and said growing the plant was a sovereign right for Natives.
The state’s Cannabis Control Division revoked Benally’s state-issued cannabis license in December. The division accused the operation of a number of violations, including pest infestation, improper use of the state’s cannabis tracking system and growing four times the legal limit of plants.
Both Benally and his business partner, James “Flaming Eagle” Mooney, claim that marijuana is a religious sacrament and that the state has no authority over their operation.
According to reports, Benally has continued to expand the operation and has built even more greenhouses since the CCD revoked his license.
Poll: “Overwhelming” Majority Favor Legalization
A new poll from the Pew Research Center found that a stunning 88 percent of adults in the U.S. said marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use.
According to the poll, 57 percent of adults say weed should be legal for both medical and recreational use while 32 percent said only medical cannabis should be legal. Only 11 percent of respondents said weed should remain illegal.
Republicans continue to be less supportive of legalizing marijuana for both legal and recreational use than Democrats, with 42 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of Democrats favoring legalizing weed for both purposes.
The survey was conducted in January, and 5,140 adults sourced from the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel were interviewed.