California is recalling additional cannabis products after a worker died at a sprawling marijuana farm that state regulators have since shut down.
At least four cannabis products have been recalled over possible contamination. State officials confirmed that two of the recalls are linked to the Lake County farm where 46-year-old Yufang Lan worked.
According to an affidavit obtained by MJBizDaily through a public records request, state officials believe Lan died after an “occupational pesticide exposure” at Joel Michaely Farms.
Lan died in intensive care on Aug. 27, six days after an unidentified man brought her to a local hospital. Law enforcement said she was suffering from cardiac arrest.
The California Department of Cannabis Control shut down the farm on Sept. 8 and suspended its license after investigators found alleged violations involving untagged plants, missing inventory, failures to use the state’s cannabis tracking system, and breaches of environmental and pesticide regulations.
The agency recalled four products it classified as “adulterated,” saying they were “produced under unsanitary conditions” and that the cultivation methods, facilities or controls did not comply with state pesticide laws and regulations.
The recalled cannabis products are:
The DCC confirmed that the Iced infused flower and Martini’s Pre-Roll recalls are connected to Joel Michaely Farms. The agency has not said whether the two other recalled products also originated at the farm.
The scale of the operation was substantial.
Records from Lake County’s planning department show that the farm was approved for nearly 1 million square feet of cannabis canopy.
When investigators served a search warrant on Aug. 31, they allegedly discovered 55,069 cannabis plants, 6,000 pounds of processed cannabis, “illegal chemicals” and “approximately 20,000 gallons of contaminated liquid requiring specialized disposal.”
Officials said all of the cannabis was destroyed.
Investigators also found evidence of banned and unapproved chemicals throughout the property.
DCC Special Investigator Jaime Musuda said in a Sept. 8 affidavit that the farm consisted of “two outdoor cultivation areas” and “112 hoophouse structures.”
In roughly 20 of the hoophouses, investigators found “cans of fumigant pesticide ‘Real-Kill Indoor Fogger’” positioned several feet apart.
Outside, investigators discovered “several different bottles of illicit foreign labeled pesticides” along with “three pesticides unapproved for use” on cannabis, according to the affidavit.
Those included Eagle 20, which contains myclobutanil; Sanmite SC, which contains pyridaben; and Altus, which contains flupyradifurone.
The investigation also raised questions about the conditions faced by workers at the sprawling farm.
Musuda said about 10 to 15 workers lived on the property in cramped, unsanitary conditions with “moldy walls.” It remains unclear whether Lan was among them.
The workers all spoke Mandarin, according to the affidavit, and none had been paid because the farm had yet to turn a profit, the onsite cultivation manager told Musuda, “which could take years.”
More recalls could follow as California officials continue investigating the operation.
