LANSING and BAY CITY, Mich. — Viridis Laboratories applauded the Michigan Court of Claims for reaffirming that the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) arbitrarily and improperly recalled tens of thousands of pounds of cannabis tested by Viridis in Bay City.

Judge Thomas Cameron released an opinion on Friday, ruling that “the issuance of the recall against the Bay City facility was, on the Court’s review of the record, arbitrary and without basis.”

“We applaud the Court for upholding the decision finding the MRA pursued a faulty recall of products tested at the Viridis lab in Bay City,” said Kevin Blair, attorney with Honigman LLP. “The MRA’s entire recall was out of line, went against the advice of respected national experts and caused mass disruption to the state’s cannabis industry. We’re unwavering in our efforts to seek justice and ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

The ruling acknowledges that claims Viridis brought against individuals can proceed in a different court, and the company intends to pursue those along with the administrative complaint against the MRA that is currently pending.

The recall, which was announced on Nov. 17, was the largest in state history and has created significant harm and disruption to Michigan’s cannabis industry, leading many to question the MRA’s unscrupulous practices, including several Michigan businesses and policymakers.

“It’s clear there needs to be greater accountability for the MRA,” said David Russell, attorney with Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C. "We continue to pursue all legal remedies so we can shine a spotlight on the MRA’s troubling conduct and improper practices and help ensure the massive disruption and chaos caused by the MRA does not happen again.”

In particular, Russell pointed to recent depositions as a basis to revisit part of the Judge’s decision dealing with Viridis Lansing.

“We understand Judge Cameron wasn’t aware of these depositions, so the timing of this ruling was coincidental and unfortunate,” Russell said. “We’re confident the information we’ve gathered so far through discovery and depositions only strengthens our arguments, and we will be respectfully requesting reconsideration from the Court.”

Viridis has remained committed to its customers throughout this unfortunate and unjustified recall by providing thousands of retests at no cost to expedite the return of their products to retail shelves. While doing so, they continue to provide the most reliable, consistent and accurate regulatory testing for their loyal customers who have stuck with them through this process.

Viridis’ focus on using the safest, most accurate testing methods to ensure the safety of patients and adult-use cannabis consumers continues to be the foundation of their success.

“We’re proud to have the highest accreditation awarded to cannabis testing laboratories from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation as well as a Patient Focused Certification through Americans for Safe Access,” said Viridis CEO Greg Michaud. “We are overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from our wonderful customers, and we remain resolute in calling for additional oversight and transparency of the MRA so it can fulfill its duty to protect consumer safety and support – rather than harm – Michigan’s growing cannabis industry.”