A worker at a Massachusetts cannabis producer dies after inhaling cannabis dust

According to a preliminary inspection report by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an employee at a Massachusetts cannabis production facility died earlier this year after inhaling cannabis dust while on the job. According to the report, the employee died while making pre-rolled joints at a marijuana manufacturing facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts, operated by Trulieve, a Florida-based, vertically integrated cannabis company with operations in 11 states.

In their report, which is subject to change by the agency, OSHA investigators wrote that on Jan. 7, an employee was grinding cannabis flower to be packed into pre-rolls when she “said she couldn’t breathe.” Although the report provides few details about the incident, the OSHA investigation found that the unidentified “employee was unable to breathe and was killed due to the dangers of ground cannabis dust.” The report also mentioned that the inhaled dust contained marijuana kief, which are detached cannabis trichomes, the glands that produce THC and other active compounds found in marijuana.

In June, OSHA imposed fines totaling more than $35,000 on Trulieve in connection with the employee’s death. The three violations cited by OSHA are classified as “serious,” with the agency alleging that Trulieve violated federal regulations that require companies to maintain a written hazard communication plan, maintain safety data sheets on hazardous chemicals, and provide information and training on those chemicals.

Holyoke civic leaders have welcomed Massachusetts’ regulated cannabis industry to take up residence in the city’s many vacant industrial buildings and have issued 72 licenses to grow, manufacture and retail cannabis products to companies operating in the jurisdiction, the authorities said Data from the State Cannabis Control Commission. Local independent news site The Shoestring reports that indoor cannabis growers are particularly drawn to the town north of Springfield in western Massachusetts, which has relatively low electricity rates compared to other areas. Holyoke is one of the first planned industrial cities in the country, making it possible to provide affordable electricity generated via a dam and municipal sewer system.

Employee alleges mismanagement at Trulieve Facility in Massachusetts

The death of the Trulieve employee was first reported by The Young Jurks podcast last week. Although the deceased worker was not identified in the OSHA investigation report, The Young Jurks identified the employee as 27-year-old Lorna L. McMurrey of West Springfield, Massachusetts. In a post on YouTube, The Young Jurks shared a statement from an unidentified former colleague alleging mismanagement at the Trulieve facility.

“Lorna McMurrey tragically died while processing Keif at Trulieve’s manufacturing facility in Holyoke, MA,” said the former employee. “I had resigned about a month before her death because of the horrible administration and corruption I witnessed on a daily basis as a supervisor at the facility. I wish I was there to save her. Please take care of your people. Please continue your education.”

When asked about the death at the Trulieve cannabis facility, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia said Sunday that this was the first time he had heard of the incident. He added that he had no information and could not comment on the situation.

“This is new to me and I am very shocked to hear this,” he wrote in a text message sent to a reporter from The Shoestring.

Drew Weisse is an organizer at United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459, a union representing workers at a Holyoke cannabis production facility operated by Green Thumb Industries. He told local media that workers in the cannabis industry face a variety of workplace hazards.

“You’re doing farm work in a factory, so you have the health risks associated with both farm and factory settings,” Weisse said.

Trulieve is licensed to grow up to 80,000 square feet of cannabis plants at its Holyoke facility, located in a former Conklin Office Furniture factory. The Company also operates three retail cannabis stores in Massachusetts. Nationwide, Trulieve operates in 11 legal cannabis states, with leading market positions in Arizona, Florida and Pennsylvania.

A publicist for Trulieve told the High Times the company was preparing a statement on the incident but declined to comment further.