Oregonians report paranoia and mind fog after using CBD apparently affected by THC

Oregon regulators have filed eight complaints of people buying CBD drops that were apparently contaminated with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in recreational marijuana.

The buyers reported paranoia, mind fog and feeling extremely high, according to the committee, symptoms not usually associated with CBD.

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission this week ordered a recall of the CBD drops, from Portland manufacturer Select, and is investigating whether the problem was caused by contamination, mislabelling, or something else.

Traced backwards to find the needle in the haystack to find out why and how this happened, said Mark Pettinger, spokesman for the commission’s marijuana program. There’s a lot of detective work that’s really going on right now.

It is apparently the first case of THC contamination in an Oregon consumer product.

I can’t think of anything like this happening in the past, Pettinger said. Recreational marijuana has been legal in Oregon since 2015, but products containing THC are subject to strict regulations governing sales and licensing.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is made from hemp, but usually contains no THC. Enthusiasts use CBD as a general wellness product and it is widely available in grocers and health food stores.

Oregon ordered a recall of 1,000 milligram bottles of unflavored Select CBD Drops, labeled Broad Spectrum. Pettinger said the state received its first report of a problem with the drops on Sept. 9 from an Idaho customer who purchased the drops in Oregon.

It was one buyer who tried the product and got a response. And then they shared it with someone, Pettinger said. A second person who belonged to that party tried and had a similar physical reaction.

Because the first complaint came from Idaho, Pettinger said it took regulators a few days to get a sample from that bottle and test it. That came back hot, said Pettinger, who tested positive for high levels of THC. So he said regulators in Oregon bought two more bottles and found they also contained THC.

The OLCC has now found five positively tested bottles. The recall affects 500 products sold as of June 19. Stores still had 200 of the recalled bottles on their shelves when the OLCC issued its order this week.

We don’t know if it’s wrong labeling or wrong packaging. We need to trace it back just like it was a case of salmonella, Pettinger said. He said the OLCC will also test for other contaminants, including solvents and pesticides.

We just don’t know the breadth of the problem, Pettinger said.

Curaleaf, the Massachusetts company that now owns the Select brand, said Thursday it was still gathering information and working with the OLCC to determine what happened. The company said it has informed all stores that have received this batch that it has been recalled.

The health and safety of our patients and customers remains our number one priority, said Curaleaf. It asks people who purchased the recalled bottles to contact the company at [email protected].

The recall is the latest in a long line of issues for Select, aka Cura Cannabis, dating back to the company’s founding with roots in an infamous Lake Oswego scam.

Last year, the OLCC hit Cura with a record $110,000 penalty for dishonest behavior for falsely claiming that a line of Select vapes contained 100% marijuana.

— Mike Rogoway |[email protected]| twitter:@rogoway| 503-294-7699