A California marijuana company is being sued over the potency of its joints, its labels and packaging, after an inspection showed the pot sold there was nearly four times as potent as its federally prescribed amount.
The company — called Green Cross Holdings Inc. — is owned by the husband and wife owners of a prominent Santa Ana cannabis operator. The couple have said they use their business to help people in need, and have also made millions of dollars selling their products on the state’s heavily regulated medical cannabis market.
The company’s products include oils, capsules and extracts, said the lawsuit, filed in federal court by two medical cannabis advocates.
The company’s products also include marijuana strains and infused water, sold at dispensaries called “garden centers.” The company’s labels, packaging and advertising bear the tagline “Our Weed is Potent,” the lawsuit said.
The plaintiffs claim the pot is “potent as a result of the use of pesticides and fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and other compounds that are not permitted for sale as part of the California Industrial Hemp Act,” according to the lawsuit. They say the products’ potency does not conform to its label.
The lawsuit also questions the company’s claim that its products and business are in line with California law. The suit claims that the company is violating federal and state law by selling marijuana that is more potent than it requires to be sold under state law.
The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, which is on behalf of the same two plaintiffs as the plaintiffs in the state lawsuit. It was filed in June and will be handled by a federal magistrate judge, which is in Santa Ana.
The company’s products are sold at shops called “ Garden Centers” where pot is grown and packaged for sale. They also sell infused water, such as seltzers, and in some cases, cannabis oil and oils, the lawsuit says.
The federal lawsuit claims the company’s products have been sold to patients and caregivers, but it did not say who was selling the products. It also said the company failed to disclose some of its ingredients in its packaging
