(The Center Square) – Missouri’s cannabis regulators announced on Thursday it revoked a suspended marijuana manufacturing license from a Franklin County business.
A media release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services noted seven violations committed by Delta Extraction, leading to revocation of its license on Dec. 2. Delta Extraction failed to ensure products it sold in Missouri originated from marijuana grown and cultivated in a licensed facility within the state, according to the agency.
Delta Extraction failed to ensure all THC in its marijuana products was derived from marijuana cultivated by those licensed by the state or ensuring the product passed required testing prior to being sold at dispensaries.
Delta Extraction failed to ensure all product was entered in Missouri’s track and trace system, which is cause for revocation of its license, the agency stated.
In August, the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation issued a recall on products sold to dispensaries and manufacturers by Delta Extraction and suspended its license. The agency cited the potential threat to public health and safety from marijuana products containing THC sourced from unregulated businesses. The agency stated in August there were no reported no adverse reactions associated with the recalled product.
An agency investigation modified the recall in late October after regulators identified products derived exclusively from marijuana cultivated within Missouri’s regulated system.
“While Delta Extraction’s use of out-of-state cannabis in our regulated system has been well-publicized and is a critical issue, DCR also found numerous other violations of rules at this facility,” Amy Moore, director of the Division of Cannabis Regulation, said in a statement announcing the revocation.
In addition to not tracking products and falsification of tracking data, Delta Extraction failed to maintain security of marijuana products at its facilities. The agency reported the business failed to maintain required security for facility entry and for automatic notification of law enforcement when security was breached. It failed to comply with regulations requiring video monitoring and retaining video recordings for at least 60 days.
“The Missouri Constitution charges the Department with ensuring the safety of marijuana product and the safety and security of marijuana facilities through enforcement of rules,” Moore said. “We must be clear on this: Businesses that choose to participate in Missouri’s marijuana industry do not get to decide which rules and which parts of Article XIV (in Missouri’s revised statutes) they want to follow.”
Co-owners and co-founders of Delta Extraction, brothers Jack and Ted Maritz, built one of the fastest growing and most successful independent manufacturing facilities in Missouri’s marijuana industry, according to Greenway Magazine, a publication covering the industry.
“What have we done wrong?” Ted Maritz was quoted as asking in a magazine article.
“They knew we were using THCa (acid) and have admitted that other manufacturers in the state have done the exact same process at the same time we were doing it, and decided to retroactively enforce their changed rules on us,” Jack Maritz told the publication.
