The state allows terpenes from cannabis to be added back to enhance the flavor of the concentrate, creating such flavors as cherry lemonade from Terrapin, which says it only uses terpenes from cannabis in Pennsylvania.
An industry group formed to fight the ban, Medical Marijuana Access & Patient Safety Inc., called the health department’s reasoning “nonsensical,” given that the federal government considers cannabis an illegal substance with no accepted medical use.
Kathy Rapp, a Republican from Northwestern Pennsylvania who chairs the House Health Committee, said she asked her executive director to request more details on the recall, which does not appear to have created a shortage.
Klinepeter told lawmakers on March 9 that state law requires her to operate a “pharmaceutical-grade” medical marijuana program for 23 health conditions.
However, “the FDA has not approved the cannabis plant for any medical use,” according to the U.S.
Curaleaf, which has a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, operates five dispensaries in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Nicolas Koslasky, a medical marijuana patient in Belle Vernon, Pa., about 45 minutes southeast of Pittsburgh, said the agency’s list of recalled products was confusing because companies were listed under their licensed names.