Companies around Missouri have been required to store nearly 63,000 recalled cannabis products since early August.
But if they want to destroy that product, they can now consult with state cannabis regulators about how to do it, after a on the recall was postponed until at least December.
Licensed cannabis businesses may not take action on the recalled product without permission for the state, said Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the agency that oversees the state鈥檚 cannabis program, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, in an email to The Independent Thursday.
鈥淚f a licensee wishes to voluntarily destroy product on hold, they should contact the department to discuss,鈥� Cox said.
However, it鈥檚 possible, she said, the case surrounding the recall could be resolved by Oct. 20.
Robertsonville-based marijuana manufacturer Delta Extraction has the Administrative Hearing Commission to rescind the company鈥檚 license suspension and rollback the recall.
The company鈥檚 attorney, Chuck Hatfield, said he also 鈥渉opes and believes鈥� the matter can be resolved by Oct. 20 or sooner.
鈥淲e鈥檙e providing all the records that they鈥檙e asking for,鈥� Hatfield said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making folks available to them for interviews, and we have been doing that since the first day that this was raised. Delta Extraction is an open book.鈥�
Attorneys for the state and Delta Extraction agreed in a that the hearing will not be rescheduled prior to Nov. 30. A commissioner with the Administrative Hearing Commission the next day.
The state also agreed not to order any cannabis licensee to destroy the recalled products, which potentially contain a THC concentrate that鈥檚 under investigation. If licensees choose to destroy it voluntarily, Cox said, 鈥渋t would be destroyed according to the requirements for destruction/waste in applicable regulations.鈥�
On Aug. 2, the state regulating agency suspended Delta Extraction鈥檚 operations after accusing the company of sourcing untested 鈥� from outside of a Missouri licensed cultivation facility.鈥�
The state issued an administrative hold on the products days after and then a full on Aug. 14.
Delta has denied accusations that it illegally imported marijuana into the state by arguing it actually imported a that was converted into THC once in Missouri.
The commissioner overseeing Delta鈥檚 appeal of the recall and license suspension said the company will likely , because it鈥檚 illegal in Missouri to add 鈥渉emp-derived chemically modified 鈥榗onverted鈥� cannabinoids鈥� to marijuana products.
Last month, the department to delay the hearing that was scheduled for Sept. 29. , and a commissioner it.
However in the Sept. 25 joint motion, the department agreed to hold off on its attempt to revoke Delta鈥檚 license until Oct. 20 鈥� and Delta agreed to pushing back the hearing date.
The department issued a on Sept. 1, and Delta would鈥檝e had until Oct. 2 to prove its case against the accusations. However, Delta鈥檚 attorneys argued in an that there was no need to expedite the revocation process because the company鈥檚 operations have already been suspended.
The two parties agreed that the revocation process will be completed by Oct. 20. And if the parties cannot reach an agreement, then a hearing would be set after Nov. 30.
This story was originally published by the , part of the States Newsroom.
