MONTPELIER — Holland Cannabis LLC, a mixed indoor outdoor grower, no longer has a license following a hearing on its second alleged fungicide violation.
Owners Matthew Morin and Melissa Thompson disputed the second violation issued by the Vermont Cannabis Control Board after entering into a two-year corrective action plan with the board for the first one in June 2023. They also paid administrative penalties of $27,000, according to the CCB decision to revoke their license.
They had been accused of using or buying clone plants with myclobutanil, which the CCB described as “the active chemical compound in the commercial fungicide Eagle 20 among others.” Myclobutanil is prohibited in cannabis cultivation in Vermont and several other states.
Of approximately 130 samples from Holland, almost one-quarter contained detectable levels of myclobutanil,” the decision states. “Detections occurred in pre-rolls, flower, and from on-site samples. Further, detections were not limited to samples collected and submitted by CCB agents.”
The board found that Holland failed to follow the corrective action plan to prevent myclobutanil from getting into its product, and used unauthorized pesticide in its cultivation. Holland is the first and only company to be given a notice of violation for myclobutanil adulteration in Vermont, according to the decision.
The CCB said the 2023 case came about after consumers complained of illness. The latest case came after random retail sampling, which the board called “the last bulwark against test evasion and sample fraud.”
“Continued use of myclobutanil, for any purpose, by an entity already disciplined for the same conduct, indicates alarming indifference to consumer health and safety,” the decision states. “In this case, no known consumer got sick, but contaminated cannabis reached retail shelves.”
Read more at
Here’s the February warning
Consumer Protection Warning – Holland Cannabis Company
Full warning statement from the CCB may be found here
The Cannabis Control Board is issuing a consumer protection warning for all strains of flower produced by Holland Cannabis, due to pesticide contamination.
We have stopped sale of all Holland Cannabis flower at all retail establishments until we can confirm the safety of the company’s flower. Customers who have bought flower grown by this cultivator should return it to the store where they bought it. We have confirmed that flower grown by Holland Cannabis was sold by the following retail establishments:
- Zenbarn (Waterbury)
- The High Country Cannabis (Derby)
- The Green Man (St. Johnsbury)
- Lamoille County Cannabis (Morrisville)
- Capital Cannabis Company (Montpelier)
The May Warning
Consumer protection warning: Holland Cannabis Company
The Cannabis Control Board is issuing a consumer protection warning for flower produced by Holland Cannabis (license number CLTV0057-01), due to a pending investigation into fungicide exposure.
The CCB has ordered that all sales of Holland Cannabis flower and prerolls be halted pending further investigation into myclobutanil adulteration of some harvest lots. While the CCB is recalling all strains while the matter is investigated, this does not mean that all Holland strains are affected.
Myclobutanil is a fungicide that can cause illness if ingested, inhaled, or smoked. Any person experiencing adverse health effects attributed to myclobutanil exposure should consult a primary care provider, secure the suspected product, and notify the CCB at [email protected]. Consumers with acute symptoms may also call poison control at 1(800)222-1222.
The CCB is not aware of any member of the public being sickened to date.
-
Cannabis establishments in possession of affected product should quarantine the product and must not offer it for sale to the public until further notice.
-
Consumers in possession of affected product should return it to the establishment from which it was purchased.
The CCB has confirmed that the following licensed retail establishments have sold Holland Cannabis flower or prerolls (this is not an exhaustive list as some retailers may have older Holland cannabis):
-
DePot Shop (Windsor)
-
Kushies (Derby)
-
9th State Cannabis (North Ferrisburgh)
-
Mary Jane Junction (St. Albans)
-
Mary Jane Mountain (Montgomery)
-
The Green Man (St. Johnsbury)
