Regulators in Arizona announced this week that a cannabis establishment in the state has voluntarily recalled a certain product that may be contaminated with a fungus.

The Arizona Department of Health Services said on Monday that a product known as Onion Bhaji was recalled “due to possible contamination with Aspergillus, a fungus that can cause allergic reactions or infection, usually in people already sick with something else.”

“The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) is advising purchasers to dispose of the product described in the table below, which was found in laboratory tests to be positive for Aspergillus,” the agency said, adding that, to date, “no illnesses have been reported.”

“This announcement is being made out of an abundance of caution. Customers who have purchased potentially contaminated products should not ingest, inhale, or otherwise consume them and should dispose of them. If you have already consumed any of the products and have any of the symptoms described below, please contact your healthcare provider or seek care in the event of an emergency,” the announcement said.

The agency said that laboratory auditors with the Department of Health Services “were made aware of errors in testing results, leading to potentially false negative results for the contaminant.”

“Once [Arizona Department of Health Services] discovered the potential contamination, they contacted the facility that produced the products. The licensee took immediate action to work with all distribution and retail partners to remove any potentially impacted products from store shelves,” the agency said in this week’s announcement.

The product was voluntarily recalled by The Flower Shop; according to the Phoenix New Times, the product is “sold in The Flower Shop’s three metro Phoenix locations and distributed to nearly 170 other dispensaries across Arizona.”

Product recalls are a reality of any legal cannabis market. Arizona legalized recreational marijuana for adults in 2020, when voters there passed a ballot measure that ended prohibition. Legal pot sales began in January of 2021. 

In the three years since then, marijuana sales in the Grand Canyon State –– including both  recreational and medicinal –– have totaled more than a billion dollars. 

“Recreational marijuana sales for 2023 totaled about $1.1 billion, and medical contributed $348 million for total 2023 sales reaching $1.43 billion. Recreational sales amounted for more than 76% of the total, an increase from the 70% of sales it represented in 2022. In 2021, the first year adult-use recreational sales were legal, they were just 45% of the total,” the AZ Mirror reported in March.

“Since January 2021, recreational sales have totaled $2.8 billion, while medical has brought in slightly more than half that at $1.65 billion. The medical market dropped below $40 million in July 2022, and has not come near that mark in the ensuing months. Medical sales reached a peak of $73.4 million in April 2021, but since the inception of the dual market, medical sales have reached new lows seemingly every month. Recreational sales, which began in late January 2021, have fluctuated between $80 million and $93.5 million since July 2022. Since then, they hit a high-water mark of $100 million in March 2023 settling in at the mid- to lower-$80 million range. But recreational sales did dip in January 2024, registering just $76.8 million, the lowest since February 2022’s $72.8 million. It is the first time since June 2022 that monthly recreational marijuana sales fell below $80 million.”

The outlet explained that a third of the “revenue raised by the excise tax is dedicated to community college and provisional community college districts; 31% to public safety, including police, fire departments, fire districts and first responders; 25% to the Arizona Highway User Revenue Fund; and 10% to the justice reinvestment fund, which is dedicated to providing public health services, counseling, job training and other social services for communities that have been adversely affected and disproportionately impacted by marijuana arrests and criminalization.”

But according to the Mirror, the state has also “reported a steady decline in medical cannabis program participation, as the number of qualifying patients continues to drop every month.”

Still, the new law has led to something of a “green rush” for entrepreneurs in Arizona.

Eivan Shahara, the CEO of Mint Cannabis, a cannabis retailer in the state, told High Times earlier this year that the business is “anticipating an even busier 2024, as we prepare to employ more people to serve more customers at our additional dispensary locations.”

“The marijuana industry is blossoming into a significant job creator,” Shahara said. “It’s estimated that the cannabis industry employs about 500,000 full-time equivalent positions in the U.S., with about 280 new jobs being added daily. This showcases a promising trend, as more than 100,000 new jobs were established in the previous year, making the cannabis industry one of America’s fastest-growing job sectors.”

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A particular strain of cannabis flower literally named “Grim Reefer” has been recalled from Arizona dispensaries due to potential mold contamination. 

The Arizona Department of Health Services issued a recall Monday for certain cannabis products that may have been contaminated with aspergillus mold.

“An Arizona marijuana establishment has voluntarily recalled specific products due to possible contamination with Aspergillus, a fungus that can cause allergic reactions or infection, usually in people already sick with something else,” said a written press release from the ADHS. “The products being voluntarily recalled is the Nirvana Center’s Grim Reefer, Batch number PHX1091-GR.”

The ADHS said that the cause of the possible contamination was due to laboratory testing that did not follow state guidelines, though the press release did not say exactly how the labs were skirting guidelines, only that whatever was being done elicited the possibility of false negative results for certain contaminants. 

“ADHS Laboratory auditors discovered discrepancies during a routine inspection, potentially leading to false negative results for contaminants being reported,” the press release said. “Once ADHS discovered the potential contamination, they contacted the facility that produced the products. The licensee took immediate action to work with all distribution and retail partners to remove any potentially impacted products from store shelves.”

There has not yet been any issues reported with people who have consumed the Grim Reefer, nor with any of the other cannabis product recalls from aspergillus in Arizona. The Nirvana Center voluntarily recalled all the potentially contaminated products, presumably before they could make anybody sick. 

“To date, no illnesses have been reported. This announcement is being made out of an abundance of caution,” the press release said. “Patients who have purchased potentially contaminated products should not ingest, inhale, or otherwise consume them and should dispose of them. If you have already consumed any of the products and have any of the symptoms described below, please contact your healthcare provider or seek care in the event of an emergency.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, aspergillus is a type of fungus with over 180 known species, about 40 of which have been known to cause unpleasant or harmful reactions in humans. Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common “strain,” if you will, of the fungus. People with healthy immune systems typically don’t experience a reaction to aspergillus, but people with weakened immune systems have been known to have reactions to it in the form of ailments like lung or sinus infections which can spread to the rest of the body. 

Most people breathe aspergillus every day without getting sick, but in those it does affect the fungus can cause an illness known as aspergillosis. Most of the symptoms of aspergillosis can be likened to a combination of asthma and allergy attacks, according to the CDC. 

Aspergillus recalls in cannabis products have actually been happening with some form of regularity as more states legalize and enact different standards of lab testing. In Oregon, for instance, there was a big problem with products testing positive for aspergillus beyond the allowed levels but the laws ended up getting repealed and recalled products were eventually sold after local cannabis farmers appealed to the state legislature that some level of aspergillus is near-impossible to avoid when growing cannabis. 

“The industry was concerned that that was not a workable standard that could be met, particularly for growers who are growing directly in soil,” said attorney Kevin Jacoby to KLCC. Jacoby represented the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon in a legal challenge to the state’s aspergillus laws with regard to cannabis. 

Oregon’s change of heart has not stopped the ADHS from recalling the Grim Reefer, however. Nor has it stopped the state health authority from recalling nine other batches of potentially contaminated cannabis just this year. Almost all the batches recalled were due to possible aspergillus contamination, though some were for salmonella as well. Several of the past incidents of aspergillus contamination also cited poor lab etiquette or improperly reported lab results. 

Interestingly enough, two of those product recalls were ultimately – recalled – because there’s a law in Arizona with regard to cannabis testing facilities that if a product fails testing it can be sent to a second lab. If it passes testing at the second lab, the product is sent to a third lab and the third lab’s result is the final one. Three of the ten batches recalled in 2023 for aspergillus in Arizona met this standard, had their recalls lifted, and were ultimately sold to the general public. 

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Officials in Nevada flagged a cannabis product being sold at a dispensary in the Reno, Nevada area, after lab testing data revealed fungus contamination. Consumers are advised to stay on the safe side and dispose of any flagged cannabis products that could be potentially harmful.

The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) issued a Public Health and Safety Bulletin on Friday advising people who buy cannabis to avoid or take caution when consuming a particular product that tested positive for traces of fungus. Nevada requires that all cannabis is tested for contaminants including both fungus and unapproved fungicides. Smoking certain species of fungi can lead to deadly infections in the lungs and the brain.

The contaminated cannabis was sold during the month of May, and some consumers could be affected. There are no known reports, however, of any illness at the time of writing.

“The following cannabis package tested positive for Aspergillus fumigatus and was sold between May 9 and May 21, 2023,” the board wrote, identifying a half ounce bag of flower from Phantom Farms, the strain Dancing Monkey.

The batch of cannabis initially passed testing, however, lab technicians re-analyzed the sample and determined it was contaminated with fungus.

“There is no reason to believe the laboratory was aware the cannabis was actually positive for the presence of Aspergillus fumigatus at the time they reported the negative results,” the report continues. “There is also no reason to believe the cannabis sales facility had any knowledge of the presence of A. fumigatus in the affected cannabis package.”

The bulletin then identified a dispensary near Reno that was selling the product. The affected cannabis was sold at Silver State Relief Fernley in Fernley, Nevada, which is outside of Reno, between May 9, 2023 and May 21, 2023.

The dispensary will be forced to inform their customers about the contaminated cannabis via bulletin.

“The listed sales facility is requested to display this bulletin in a conspicuous location on their premises for 30 days to ensure their customers are aware of this information,” the bulletin continues. “There are no known reports of illness at this time. Health impacts from Aspergillus fumigatus may exist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides general information on Aspergillosis, which is an infection that can be caused by certain Aspergillus species, including Aspergillus fumigatus.”

Not All Fungus is Bad

Many forms of fungus are bad news for plants: Root and stem rot, bud rot, and powdery mildew are three of the most common fungal diseases affecting cannabis. Growers are most likely to detect forms of gray mold.

More specifically, common fungal infections that can harm cannabis plants include the species Botrytis cinerea, powdery mildew, Aspergillus, Rhizoctonia Solani, Fusarium, and Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum.

That said, not all fungus that forms on cannabis plants are necessarily harmful. While Aspergillus fumigatus is bad and can cause health problems, a beneficial fungus—mycorrhizae—is a different story.

In 2016, High Times reported that mycorrhiza grows inside and around the roots of the plant and feeds on the sugars it provides. In turn, the mycorrhiza decomposes organic matter, solubilizes phosphates, and “delivers the nutrients it scavenges directly to the root.” This fungus behaves like an extension of the plant’s own root system. Without mycorrhiza, plants struggle to survive unless provided with all the right nutrients in soluble form, i.e. hydroponics. Plants grown in soil with mycorrhizae are far more tolerant to extreme temperatures, drought and plant diseases.

To keep informed about cannabis recalls in Nevada, check out the Nevada CCB website.

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