The NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) touted progress on dealing with mold and yeast issues, along with THC inflation.

NJ Cannabis Mold and Yeast Issues

“Totally mold and yield failure rates are up 307 percent from April 25 to April 26. Which is great,” Acting Executive Director Christopher Riggs said.

“You’re seeing 3.14 percent fail,” he noted.

Riggs said the national legal industry average of 5 percent of mold and tests that fail, while some NJ cannabis testing labs were at 0 percent.

“That’s attributing to having a lab scientist with expertise, having somebody out there to look at these things to make sure they’re doing the test properly,” he said.

Riggs explained a graph where 3 out of 4 labs kept anonymous claimed to have had literally no failures in April 2025. However, in April 2026, Lab A reported a 4 percent increase, leading to 621 Total Yeast and Mold (TY&M) test failures.

He said they issued Notices of Violations (NOVs) to enforce better behavior

THCA Levels Investigation

Riggs said the TCHA percent is up in flower which they are monitoring closely.

Before THC is burnt and gets you high, it’s THCA.

Unfortunately, most newbie and casual cannabis consumers are unfamiliar with the many cannabinoids in cannabis flower except for THC. They are also often unaware of terpenes, which influence the smell and experience. So, cannabis flower is often bred to have the most THC to be the “strongest” for such consumers.

In reality, cannabinoids and terpenes matter a lot when looking for the “strongest” or “best” weed.

“We do have our lab scientist now on board at the CRC. She’s been out to some of these labs and there’s some positive changes…,” Riggs explained.

He said THCA rates have stopped increasing since they have hired more scientists.

Medical Advocate Praises Progress

During the public comment period, leading NJ medical cannabis advocate Andrea Raible praised Riggs and the CRC for making progress on mold and yeast questions.

“Bad actors are going to continue exploiting the market if they know no one is watching,” she declared. “A few percentage points might not like sound like much… but it has a significant impact….”

She noted one lab failed about 620 batch tests for a 4.2 percent rate. Raible noted that batches have about 100 pounds in them.

“This is potentially 2600 lbs. of contaminated flower, which could break down to 1.1 million contaminated pre-rolls,” she argued.

Riggs said the margin of error is the difference between legitimate enforcement and “safety theater.”

“I would love to see a robust data program and ongoing secret shopper testing…,” she added.

Raible led a secret shopper program herself and helped publicize a study reflecting mold, yeast, and THC inflation problems throughout the state-legal cannabis industry.

Culture Craft Cannabis Collective Fined 2 Grand for Storage

Tuason said the Culture Craft Cannabis Collective dispensary in Matawan in Monmouth County was in trouble for improperly storing products “in an unsecure area.”

Commissioner Amelia Mapp thought they should be fined $2,000. So the motion passed 4-0.