Underreported mold levels, lab shopping, and fear of retaliation among concerned cannabis workers are boiling behind the scenes of Massachusetts’ marijuana industry.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) released a report earlier this month that warned of mold in some marijuana products. Still, some labs and cannabis advocates say the problem is far more widespread than regulators are letting on.
In the consumer advisory issued on Feb. 3, the CCC said there were new health and safety concerns regarding some retail marijuana products that were sold between May 31, 2024, and Jan. 23, 2025. But so far, no illnesses have been publicly reported, and no products have been recalled.
However, some cannabis testing facilities and worker advocates say far more needs to be done to keep consumers—and even retailers—safe from moldy marijuana products.
“We think that the problem is significant,” said Christopher Hudalla, Ph. D., Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at ProVerde Laboratories in Milford.
“They’ve never done a recall due to safety concerns identified in the state of Massachusetts. Is that because Massachusetts products never have any safety concerns? Absolutely not,” said Hudalla. “It’s because they’re not willing to take action. We have provided our concerns regarding hundreds of samples, and very few have been investigated until recently.”
Hudalla said in a test of 100 retail samples, over 55 percent failed.
“Well over half of the samples submitted do not pass the state’s own criteria for safety,” he said.
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