Vermont's Cannabis Control Board (CCB) yesterday issued a consumer protection warning for flower produced by Cognizant Sparks and sold under the Top Notch Headies brand due to pesticide contamination.
The CCB recently received a lab report that Cognizant's flower exceeded action limits for a prohibited pesticide, specifically spinosad (combined principal factors of spinosyn A and spinosyn D). The agency obtained and tested several samples of Top Notch Headies flower.
The CCB's investigation is ongoing, and they are working with other state agencies to learn more about the potential health impacts of smoking flower contaminated with spinosyn. While scientific literature on the health impacts of ingesting spinosyn on food products indicates the compound is relatively safe, the CCB says there is minimal information on the impacts of heating and inhaling spinosyn.
The CCB stopped the sale of all Top Notch Headies flower at all retail establishments pending further investigation. Consumers who have purchased the product should return it to the store where they bought it.
Sales of the product have been traced to three specific retail locations:
- Bern Legacy Cannabis in Burlington.
- Emeraldrose Grows in Bristol.
- Capital Cannabis Company in Montpelier.
If a consumer has experienced adverse health effects from consuming any cannabis flower or products, the CCB says they should seek medical attention immediately, report the event to the retail establishment from which they purchased the product, and report the event to the CCB.
