In the first case of its kind in Minnesota, the state is suing Zaza Cannabis Dispensary after finding products in its stores that contain more than 70 times the legal limit of THC. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is seeking the destruction of products with illegal amounts of THC, the intoxicating substance in marijuana.
The lawsuits filed in Hennepin and Ramsey county courts followed a September inspection of Zaza that was prompted in part by complaints from the public about the potency of the stores' products.
State inspectors, the lawsuits said, caught employees smuggling illicit products out the back door during the inspections. Zaza operates stores in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. Employees answering the phone at those locations said they could not comment on the lawsuits.
"The Office of Cannabis Management takes seriously its responsibility to protect the health and safety of Minnesotans and ensure compliance within the hemp-derived cannabinoid marketplace," Josh Collins, a spokesman for OCM, said in a statement.
Read more at The Minnesota Star Tribune