Second Michigan cannabis recall in a month for contaminated vapes

For the second time in less than a month, Michigan cannabis regulators announced a major product recall, this time for 23,291 vape cartridges produced by Exhale Systems.

The voluntary recall is being coordinated by Exhale and concerns its brands Bloom Classic and Bloom Live, which were found to be contaminated with medium chain triglyceride, or MCT, oil, according to a Tuesday press release from the state Cannabis Regulatory Agency.

The recall covers 15 different vape flavors made by Exhale, including:

• Alien Jack
• Blue Dream
• Cereal Milk
• Champagne Kush
• Durban Gelato
• Face Off OG
• Forbidden Fruit
• Green Crack
• Jack Herer
• Maui Wowie
• Pineapple Express
• Pineapple Sherbert
• Rainbow Runtz
• Skywalker
• White Widow

While 18,268 of the vapes in question have already been sold to consumers, MLive.com reported, the rest are being shipped back to Exhale from roughly 120 retailers where they were still in stock.

“Consumers with a recalled vape should return it to the sales location from where it was purchased or dispose of it safely,” the CRA stated in the release.

The recall was initiated due to a tip provided to the CRA, following new product testing rules that went into effect in October, MLive.com reported.

The Bloom brand, which is based in California, entered the Michigan cannabis market through a partnership with Yield Distribution in April last year, the Detroit Free Press reported.

“We are grateful for the CRA’s support throughout this matter,” Vitaly Mekk, co-founder and co-CEO of Bloom, told the Free Press. “Our teams are taking immediate corrective action in response, focusing on pulling all impacted product from shelves, and implementing additional third party testing protocols to ensure we are providing the safest products possible.”

The recall is the second since the new testing threshold was established in October, the Free Press reported, after Platinum Vape cartridges were also recalled for having MCT oil on Jan. 31.