Health Canada issues second recall this month for weed producer Bonify’s products

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This article was published 23/12/2018 (2196 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg-based marijuana producer Bonify has been hit with a second Health Canada recall of its products this month.

The Christmas Eve action follows last week’s news that Bonify sold what Health Canada called “unapproved cannabis products” in Saskatchewan, related to a Dec. 7 recall in that province. A Free Press source alleged the products were bought from the illicit market, which has not been confirmed.

Last Friday, Health Canada — which regulates the legal cannabis market — told the Free Press that Bonify couldn’t prove the products recalled in Saskatchewan had passed laboratory testing, and said they hadn’t been sold anywhere else.

But Monday’s recall includes Bonify products that were sold through government-licensed stores in Manitoba. Health Canada says some products “have record keeping issues with production documents” that may not meet regulatory requirements.

“As a result, Bonify has issued a recall as a precautionary measure,” says the recall notice.

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries,which distributes legal cannabis to licensed retailers in the province, and the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba — the provincial marijuana store regulator — issued a joint statement telling consumers to return all Bonify products.

“We support Health Canada and Bonify’s decision to issue a recall,” wrote LGCA spokeswoman Kristianne Dechant in an email Monday.

“We are pleased that Manitoba’s swift actions last week mean that these products were already unavailable at licensed stores and that Manitobans were already notified to take caution and return these products.”

Bonify declined to comment on Monday.

Other products listed on Monday’s recall notice from Health Canada don’t appear to have record-keeping issues, but instead have a “labelling error where the cannabinoid values are reversed,” the notice says.

Cannabinoids are compounds produced naturally by the cannabis plant that include THC, the psychoactive component. Government-regulated cannabis in Canada must display certain cannabinoid levels on the label to indicate potency.

The recall notice lists 14 lots of Bonify cannabis that should be returned to stores in Manitoba and Saskatchewan; about 5,883 units were sold in packages weighing either 3.5 or seven grams.

The names of the recalled Bonify products include Critical Plus, White Widow, Sensi Star, Wappa, White Berry, and CBD Shark Shock. They were sold from Oct. 22 to Dec. 20.

“To date, no complaints have been received related to the recalled lots,” the recall notice says. “Neither Health Canada nor Bonify has received any adverse reports for the recalled cannabis product.”

Bill Blair, the federal minister of border security and organized crime reduction who is now responsible for the Liberal government’s cannabis legalization law, is aware of the allegations surrounding Bonify, he said in a statement.

“My office has been in touch with Brian Pallister’s team and we will continue to engage with them, and all other relevant parties, as we work together to displace the illicit market and keep cannabis out of the hands of youth,” he said. 

solomon.israel@theleafnews.com   

@sol_israel