Far & Dotter, a Maryland medical and recreational adult-use dispensary has received a fine amounting to $26,000.00 after reports of unhygienic distribution practices. Footage obtained from security cameras revealed three dispensary employees retrieving packages of cannabis products from an outside dumpster where they had been disposed of 41 hours and nine minutes prior. The Maryland Cannabis Administration has executed a Consent Order in which serious breaches in “Sanitary Storage of Medical Cannabis” were addressed amongst other concerns.
Source: Far & Dotter, Timonium (fardotter.com)
On the evening of July 27, 2023, staff of Far & Dotter were observed on surveillance footage repackaging the 64 containers containing 224 grams of cannabis products in total. This cannabis was later sold in the dispensary between July 28 and August 3, 2023 in 3.5 gram bags.
According to the report, “the agent performing the repackaging informed the MCA investigator that it was necessary to put the containers in bags because the original packaging was covered in a liquid substance acquired from the dumpster”.
The report continues, stating that the dispensary representative “asserts that its interviews with other dispensary agents indicate that no liquid or other material from the dumpster reached the sealed jars or the cannabis inside the sealed jars”.
The three dispensary employees involved informed investigators that they were “instructed to return them to inventory by their Gencral Manager”.
The shipment of Amnesia OG from Culta arrived pre-weighed in 3.5 gram sealed jars on July 25 and was disposed of by the dispensary the same day. This product was then sold in 42 sales transactions, 24 of which were to licensed medical cannabis patients of the dispensary and generated $3,174.50 in sales.
In addition to a $26,000.00 fine, the dispensary is now required to submit its waste logs, scale calibration reports, and cleaning logs to the MCA for monthly review. The dispensary must also retrain all staff on green waste procedures.
The dispensary manager’s employment has been terminated as of August 2023. The dispensary continues to operate, presumably under new management, as of April, 2024.
