State revokes licenses for Corunna-based cannabis brand

Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency revoked all three licenses of a marijuana grower and processor in Corunna last week after observing multiple containers filled with products that were not entered into the state’s tracking system.

The agency has suspended licenses before, but this is the first time it has permanently lifted them.

“When licensees don’t act within the laws and rules that govern the cannabis industry, we must act swiftly to protect the public,” said Brian Hanna, the agency’s executive director. “By revoking these state operating licenses, we are holding true to the CRA’s promise that egregious actions jeopardizing public health and safety will be taken seriously and have consequences.”

In June 2022, during a pre-licensure inspection, Candid Labs, which also does business as Layercake Farms 2, had almost 45,000 immature plants in its inventory for the medical Class C grow facility, the agency said. Only 1,500 plants are allowed to be grown with this type of licensure. Many of these “immature plants” were over 8 inches tall and did not have a tag from Metrc, the agency’s tracking system. Over the next month, Candid Labs reduced its inventory to 27,500 plants and recorded that the other “unwanted plants” had been “destroyed,” according to the agency. However, the agency said it did not find any evidence of the destroyed plants. 

In October 2022, agency staff visited Candid Labs’ medical growing facility at 1850 Parmenter Road in Corunna, about 35 miles northeast of Lansing in Shiawassee County. The agency said staff observed that Candid Labs’ video surveillance system was malfunctioning. Candid Labs reported that rats had chewed through the video wires, causing the video surveillance system to go offline, the agency said.

During this same visit, the agency said it found an unapproved trailer on-site that was used to process products. Agency staff said they observed 36 mason jars of what appeared to be cannabis distillate without Metrc tags. Staff also reported seeing five tall, cylindrical glass jars labeled “Labyrinth Xtracts Ultra Fine Distillate Oil” and “Hempire State Growers Hudson Valley New York” that were untagged. Candid Labs employees said that the products were made from biomass (the stalks, stems and leaves of the cannabis plant — essentially the byproducts of harvesting cannabis) that was kept on the premises, but they were unable to provide information or manifests about the product. The agency said tests revealed that the biomass from Candid Labs could not have been used to create the distillate, and the company was unable to provide a credible explanation for this discrepancy.

Agency staff found more bags, totes and other containers of untagged cannabis in different areas of the facility. In addition to the untagged cannabis, the agency noted in its report that several areas of Candid Labs’ facility were not up to code. It reported finding many doors unlocked and several areas not under surveillance, even if the company had a working camera in that area.  In May, under the agency’s oversight, Candid Labs voluntarily destroyed all marijuana products in its medical and adult-use facilities. 

Candid Labs will be unable to renew, reinstate and reactivate its licenses “at any future date,” the agency ruled. Candid Labs’ owner, Ramon Hana, will also be permanently prohibited from being employed or working in any capacity at a licensed marijuana business in the state of Michigan. Hana is also prohibited from seeking renewal of any other licensed cannabis businesses he owns and must close those businesses before the licenses expire. 

Review: Fast Eddy’s Fun Dabs -
Candy Cake | $35/3.5g at Herbana

Once upon a time, when I lived in Washington, D.C., I paid over $100 for an eighth of shatter (a “deal” back in the day). Nowadays, in 2023, you can find 3.5-gram containers full of cannabis concentrate for between $35 to $50, depending on the brand and quality. During a recent trip to Herbana, my go-to cheap concentrate stop, I picked up a jar that caught me by surprise.

The packaging for Fast Eddy’s Fun Dabs is a play on the Fun Dip candy that many stoners probably enjoyed during their childhood. When I opened the concentrate container, I was greeted with smells of vanilla and a candy-like sweetness. As a strain, Candy Cake is an indica-dominant hybrid that is created by crossing Zkittlez Cake and Jungle Cake. After one hit, I felt tingly and hollow-headed — not my favorite combo. This strain also made me feel unfocused, which I expected from an indica-dominant strain, but it also made me feel very paranoid and hungry. Perhaps it’s meant for the veteran-level stoner, but it’s not something I would pick up again. 

Fast Eddy’s Fun Dabs is part of Freshy Fine’s product family. Freshy Fine is a caregiver-rooted, family-owned and operated cannabis producer based in Buena Vista, Michigan.