Issue XVI
Cannabis pucks, the tragic death of a Trulieve worker and the company's bogus statement, the continuation of the O'Brien saga, and more.
Welcome to the 16th edition of Burn After Reading! This is my newsletter on cannabis (and other things). You can check out last week’s issue here, and if you haven’t subscribed yet, please do.
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It’s Friday.
At least there’s that.
Before we get my thoughts on this roller coaster week in cannabis, here is this week’s Cannabis Confidential, where I reviewed the first product release from HUUE — a company that claims to be revolutionizing the cannabis vape space with its “plant-based” products.
My overall thoughts on HUUE? The pucks has some potential, but they don’t function that well in the device that comes with the starter pack, and I’m skeptical that they can deliver the intended effects for users claimed on the label.
That being said, I like the packaging, and the pucks sure are convenient. The experience you get smoking or vaping a HUUE puck (as long as you don’t use the ineffective Dart device it comes with) is also probably more satisfying than your average pre-roll. Although you could also just make your own pucks or bricks at home, so at certain point you’re left to ask what value HUUE is providing — other than the convenience.
Rest in peace, Lorna McMurrey.
The Massachusetts cannabis space was shocked and saddened this week after learning that Lorna McMurrey — a 27 year old worker at Trulieve’s Holyoke facility — passed away, seemingly the result of a workplace incident involving the inhalation of cannabis dust.
Perhaps the most shocking detail of the story was that the death occurred in January, and yet we’re just finding out about it now.
News of this incident was first broken by The Young Jerks podcast last Sunday. It was then picked up by The Shoestring, an independent news publication in Western Massachusetts, before eventually finding its way into traditional news publications early this week. It’s now a huge story that has made headlines around the world.
I’m going to be doing a deeper dive into the broader topic of workplace safety and product quality in an upcoming edition of Cannabis Confidential, and hopefully we will have some more details on this tragedy in the immediate future. For now, let’s dig into the statement regarding Lorna’s death that was released by Trulieve line-by-line, because it’s a dumpster fire:
Our hearts go out to Ms. McMurrey’s family, friends, and colleagues as the circumstances around her passing have recently resurfaced, resulting in their having to re-experience their loss.
The circumstances around her passing have not “resurfaced.”
Lorna’s death was not reported anywhere in the media when it happened. Even the Mayor of Holyoke — a city of around 38,000 people — had no idea it occurred.
Notice how this sentence casts some subtle shade on the media for making the victim’s family and friends “re-experience” this loss, as if this event wasn’t a newsworthy event that the public should be aware of. I’m going to go out a limb and say that we will find in the coming weeks and months that Trulieve’s actions have caused a lot more pain for Lorna’s friends and family than her tragic death finally getting the attention it deserved.
Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we are not going to provide any details as to the specifics of that day.
Trulieve’s crisis management consultants really don’t think highly of our intelligence. Are we really supposed to believe that the family’s privacy is your main concern here?
They’re not getting into specifics because they’re under multiple investigations and facing a potential wrongful death lawsuit from the family. Just say that.
However,…
Oh boy, here we go.
….OSHA conducted a thorough investigation of the Holyoke facility. PPE was available onsite. They tested the air quality throughout the facility and the samples were all well below acceptable ranges. OSHA did issue citations related to communication standards and Trulieve has contested those findings.
They say they won’t get into actual details of what happened that night out of “respect for the family’s privacy,” but they are more than happy to offer vague half-truths that imply they didn’t do anything wrong.
Notice they don’t talk about when these air quality tests were made (the OSHA report shows they were conducted at least a week later), or if PPE was mandatory when performing tasks that would put employees at risk. They also don’t mention if she was actually wearing PPE at the time, although reports suggest she commonly wore two masks in order to combat the effects that using the cannabis grinder had on her breathing.
Reports also show that she also expressed concerns about her health to colleagues multiple times — as she had been previously hospitalized by an asthma attack while at work.
You’re going to see a lot of victim blaming in the coming months, but it’s worth remembering that it is always the responsibility of their employer to keep employees safe.
We cherish and value all of the 9,000 employees who make Trulieve a family and the safety of our team members is paramount to our core values.
The dead employee, multiple OSHA violations in multiple states, and waves of negative comments from former workers seem to say otherwise.
It’s always ironic how the words of a billion dollar company can be of so little value.
You can read the letter sent by OSHA to Trulieve here, and the citation they received here.
I’ll be back next week with any updates on this story, and a look at how the CCC might respond, based on past disciplinary actions. In the meantime, here’s someone that every MA cannabis worker should be aware of: OSHA has an extensive whistleblower protection program, and you can file a complaint here.
The CCC Chair has become a bit of a hot seat since Shannon O’Brien was announced as the Commission’s new head. A recent media appearance did little to cool it off.
On Sunday, O’Brien appeared on WCVB’s On the Record in an attempt to clear up the situation regarding her involvement with cannabis companies.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get an answer to the biggest burning question: Why did O'Brien resign from Greenfield Greenery in December, months before the public knew that the CCC Chair position was about to be open?
If you’re still getting caught to speed on the O’Brien Saga, I put together this timeline that explains the series of events from my perspective:
Something else that’s worth noting if you’re new to this story: As Dan Adams pointed out in August, State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg did not have to make O’Brien chair with her appointment. Her ability to choose a member of the Commission and her ability to appoint the chair are separate powers, and she could have made any of the preexisting Commissioners the chair. She didn’t, despite the fact that someone who was already on the Commission would probably be more equipped to lead it.
Until we have more details about O’Brien’s resignation from Greenfield Greenery and the hiring process undergone by the Treasurer’s office to fill this position, there’s going to continue to be questions.
It’s been five plus years since Massachusetts legalized cannabis and I have a humble request: Can we stop with the extremely pale/male cannabis conferences?
The latest offender is Burns and Levinson’s 6th Annual State of the Cannabis Industry Conference.
One one hand, I’m not trying to grandstand here, and I understand the potential pitfalls of looking at a roster of head shots and trying to figure out who’s a person of color and how people might otherwise identify.
On the other hand, look at this line-up. It makes the U.S. Senate look like a diverse place in comparison. They pull the classic move of hosting one panel about diversity or women in the industry, and then barely feature people from these groups at all for the rest of the panels. There’s only two women featured at the event when you don’t count the “Women in Weed” discussion, and seemingly no people of color to be found at all.
Not only is this a bad look, it’s also leads to a less impactful event. The whole point of a conference is to get a variety of perspectives, right?
This week in the cannabis industry was gloomy, but yesterday President Biden (finally) gave us a bit of good news!
We did it, Joe!
I’m not sure what he’s really getting at by talking about “limitations on trafficking” — but putting that aside — it’s a very good statement on some very smart moves. I’ll have more reactions to Biden’s announcement next week.
Some quick hits:
New England
Cannabis sales begin in Vermont, leaving New Hampshire an island in a sea of green (Josie Albertson-Grove/New Hampshire Union Leader via Yahoo)
Marijuana retailers prepare for recreational sales in Rhode Island (Joanna Bouras/NBC10)
Cannabis leaders cheer Mass. tax code change to allow more deductions (Cassie McGrath/Boston Business Journal)
Worcester cannabis shop approved in 2019 finally plans to open under new name (Tréa Lavery/Masslive)
National / Rest of U.S.
Cannabis stocks rally on Biden pardon for pot possession, study of Schedule I status of cannabis (Steve Gelsi/MarketWatch)
DOJ To ‘Expeditiously’ Act On Biden’s Marijuana Pardon Directive, While HHS ‘Looking Forward’ To Scheduling Review (Kyle Jaeger/Marijuana Moment)
Majority of Md. voters favor legalizing recreational pot, Post-UMD poll finds 🔒 (Karina Elwood, Scott Clement and Emily Guskin/Washington Post)
Marijuana financier Justin Costello arrested after federal fraud indictments (MJBizDaily)
International
St Kitts and Nevis looks to establish medicinal cannabis industry (Loop News)
The State of European Cannabis Reform: Fall 2022 Update (Marguerite Arnold/Cannabis Business Times)
Upcoming New England / Virtual Cannabis Events
10/7-10/9: NECANN’s High LifeStyle Show
Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center.
10/8+10/9: Cannabis Career Institute Workshop
9am-5pm, Rhode Island College.
10/13: Science Over Stigma: Defining Cannabis Data
6PM-8PM. 138 Green Street, Worcester, MA.
WELCOME DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK: If you’re looking for some quiet programming that will calm you down before bedtime, look no further than Rick Steves' Europe. Like Ned Flander’s cooler cousin, Rick is always focused on the positive.
He’s also isn’t afraid to tackle social or political issues in the course of his travels, yet the show still comes off as breezy and an easy watch.
As an added bonus, Rick is also the chair of the board of directors for NORML, and a cannabis enthusiast.
Most seasons of Rick Steves’ Europe are available on the PBS app or website.
CAT OF THE WEEK:
