• by Steve Ellwanger , October 31, 2022

A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges that two of cannabis brand Jeeter’s pre-rolled joints contain less THC than advertised and thus flout California Department of Cannabis Control regulations.

Selling online and at retail outlets in states where cannabis is legal, Jeeter describes itself as “The #1 Preroll company in the world” with more than a 40% share of the California market.

The lawsuit comes as most states that have legalized cannabis for medical or recreational purposes lack their own laboratories to verify the THC-potency findings of independent labs hired by marketers.

According to the California Department of Cannabis Control, THC content on product labels must be within 10% of what is actually in the package.

The case against Jeeter is the result of an investigation by WeedWeek, which paid laboratories to test several brands of California pre-rolls—in which cannabis flower is ground and wrapped with smoking paper.

Based on those tests, on Oct. 20 lawyers for two California residents filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against DreamFields Brands Inc. and Med for America Inc.—which make, market and sell Jeeter pre-rolls.

The Baby Jeeter Fire OG Diamond Infused 5-Pack of pre-rolls was labeled as having THC content of 46%, but the lab tests showed between 23% and 27%, according to the suit.

“Thus the THC content was overstated by 70%-100%—substantially more than the 10% margin of error allowed under the California regulations,” the suit states.

Baby Jeeter Churros Diamond Infused 5-Pack pre-rolls were listed as having 37% THC on the label, but the lab tests showed the actual THC content to be between 26% and 29%.

“Thus the THC content was overstated by 28%-42%.”

The suit describes the Jeeter labels involved in the tests as false and misleading.

“Because cannabis consumers generally prefer and are willing to pay more for high-THC cannabis products, declaring that their products have a very high THC content allows Defendants to charge premium rates for their cannabis products,” the suit states.

The proposed class action seeks to have Jeeter “fix their testing and labeling practice and sell their products with accurate THC content labeling.”

Additionally, it seeks an injunction against Jeeter along with punitive damages and attorney fees.

According to MJBizDaily, state regulators across the nation lack mechanisms to check the accuracy of private laboratory testing results.

As a result, “cannabis growers and product manufacturers are likely to keep shopping around for private labs that deliver results showing high THC potency,” the publication reported in August.

"However baseless and ridiculous these claims are, we take them very seriously and look forward to the truth coming to light," Jeeter said in a statement to Cannabis Business Times.