GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency has suspended the licenses of a marijuana processor and issued a safety advisory for items manufactured with “illicit product.”
TAS Asset Holdings LLC, of Lansing, manufactures products under the brand “Fwaygo Extracts.” According to complaints filed with the CRA, the brands’ “Space Rocks” products — which are manufactured marijuana flower coated with THC isolate to make the plant more potent — used isolate that was not licensed, meaning it wasn’t tested and therefore could be harmful.
“The conduct alleged in the formal complaints is a significant risk to the public health and safety of marijuana consumers in Michigan,” CRA Executive Director Brian Hanna said in a release. “While we work through the process to seek revocation of these licenses, it is vital that all licensees throughout the state realize that the CRA will continue to do what it takes to protect the public from bad actors in the regulated market.”
The CRA issued an advisory Tuesday for “Space Rocks” manufactured between Nov. 10 and Nov. 17, 2022. Any consumers who experienced an adverse reaction after using these products is asked to report their symptoms to the CRA.
The CRA investigation started in September after two vape cartridges failed safety compliance, testing positive for Bifenthrin, a chemical that is banned for use. However, testing done before the cartridges were transferred to TAS Asset Holdings showed no signs of the chemical.
In all, the agency found 23 violations. While combing surveillance footage, investigators found vape products that were not being properly tested or entered into the state’s monitoring program. The investigators also noted that parts of the facility were “dirty” and “cluttered” and that one of the company’s warehouses was not licensed.
The unlicensed warehouse — which did not have any surveillance cameras — held several marijuana products that were not tagged for state monitoring, along with “three barrels of an unknown substance that were wrapped in plastic, two black totes of an unknown substance, and several mason jars of oil.”
TAS Asset Holdings is the second processor to have its license suspended by the CRA this month. The agency announced Feb. 3 that it had suspended the license of Candid Labs in Corunna. The agency also announced disciplinary action against 10 marijuana businesses on Feb. 10, including Exclusive Grand Rapids.
The dispensary was found to have made “non-compliant sales” when it illegally transferred product from a different store and then sold some of the product after it was instructed to be put on hold by the state’s Marijuana Regulation Agency. Records show the company agreed in December to pay a $10,000 fine for the violations.
