False death lawsuit filed for confusion of CBD / THC labeling

‘This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.

Earl Jacobe’s family has filed an unjustified death lawsuit against Curaleaf, an Oregon cannabis company. The family claims that product label mix-up earlier in the year played a large role in his death.

Jacobe, 78, is one of the customers who purchased mislabeled hemp tinctures in Oregon. He experienced strange reactions after consuming the product, and then suffered further complications after succumbing to COVID-19 a few weeks later. In the weeks leading up to his death, he was hospitalized at least twice; His family claims he had stroke-like reactions that weakened his immunity and allowed him to become infected with the dreaded virus.

Photo by 24K Production / Getty Images

The backstory

It all started when customers found they got high after consuming a cannabidiol (CBD) product between June and September this year. This report sparked further investigation by the Oregon Cannabis Regulatory Agency, and it was found that Curaleaf incorrectly mislabelled a batch of products made and tested around May 2021.

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) issued a product recall and immediately exposed the mix-up. Cannabidiol products should not contain any significant levels of psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as they should be made from hemp.

In the report released by OLCC in September, customers learned that the fault occurred at the Cura Cannabis manufacturing site in Portland. The products were supposed to contain no THC, and negligence at the manufacturing facility led to this mix-up. On the tincture’s packaging and labels, customers thought the product was made from hemp and contained no detectable THC.

In an interview, OLCC spokesman Mark Pettinger said the prescription immediately retested samples from the bottle. The results were positive for THC; More bottles were tested and found to have the same effect. The investigation found that the product Select Tincture 30ml THC Drops – 1,000 mg Unflavoured, which was manufactured and sold in Oregon from June to August 2021, was mislabelled and had to be recalled for further testing or destruction.

Regulatory agency OLCC also issued another recall for the brand’s THC tinctures for testing, but they were found safe as they did not contain THC.

A human mistake

In a statement in response to the resulting backlash, Curaleaf made the mistake due to accidental human error. This so-called human error has resulted in the hospitalization of many and possible death.

Jacobe’s family is the first to file a lawsuit against Curaleaf for alleged wrongful death. However, nine lawsuits have been signed against Curaleaf Holdings in the past ten weeks. Other cases may arise.

Photo by Rocky89 / Getty Images

The tragic death of Earl Jacobe, as well as the pain he endured in his final days, are at the center of this unjust death lament. His family sadly explained that he had to be taken to the hospital twice by helicopter and that the doctors told them that the patient had symptoms similar to those of a stroke. His family said an unfortunate series of episodes began after the deceased consumed large amounts of THC from the mislabeled Curaleaf hemp tinctures.

According to their reports, he was practically in a coma and his immunity had dropped significantly, leading to him contracting the COVID-19 virus a few weeks later. Michael Fuller, the Portland attorney handling all cases against Curaleaf Holdings, said the other clients who filed the previous case all suffered from dizziness, moodiness, confusion, paranoia, psychosis, and some even had multiple thoughts of death after they the tinctures.

Trial versions, trial versions, and other trial versions

Micheal Lopez is the name for another serious lawsuit. He was also hospitalized after showing stroke-like symptoms that led to unnecessary surgery. Lopez added that he had psychosis and a vivid fear of death. Fortunately, he’s alive to tell the story.

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Michael Fuller announced that each client will have separate studies as each has their individual experiences and injuries that should not be combined with others. Many of these customers are in their late seventies; Therefore, they are not interested in a lengthy process and are willing to reach an out-of-court settlement if they can. Their age is also one of the reasons the mislabeled products have such negative effects on them.

No comment

Curaleaf has yet to comment on the growing number of lawsuits filed against them. That was only in September, a few days after the recall order was issued. They discovered that a team member had mistaken the two containers of THC and CBD when filling and packaging the tinctures.

Photo by CRYSTALWEED Cannabis via Unsplash

The company added that this confusion resulted in an entire batch of THC-tipped tinctures being incorrectly labeled as CBD drops, and vice versa. In the statement released, the company pointed out that THC in the product was the standard limit for its THC drops. Still, most of the complications arose because the customers unknowingly consumed more than one dose. The exact amount of THC in these products has not been disclosed.

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Curaleaf Holdings has assured the public that such confusion would not occur again. The company has introduced a new control unit that is supposed to provide better training for on-site staff and ensure continuous monitoring of the cameras. They also wrote that there is a new quality technician in the Oregon business unit. The contract of the person responsible for this mix-up has also been terminated.

Bottom line

There is a high likelihood that there are other seniors who suffered the same fate as Earl Jacobe or Michael Lopez after consuming these mislabeled products. Some of these recalled products may still be with these consumers as not everyone will be aware of recalls.

To prevent this from happening again, these lawsuits must be resolved through judicial or out of court so that these older clients can get back to their daily routine, and for the Jacobe family they need to know that they have done everything in their power. Multiple third-party testing phases can also ensure that this costly bug never occurs again.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.