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CBS4 Investigation Prompts Hash Maker To Pull Product Over Packaging Concerns

BOULDER (CBS4) - A Boulder marijuana concentrate manufacturer says it has removed some of its hash products from dispensary shelves after a CBS4 investigation raised concerns that its packaging may be attractive to children.

The move came after a young mother, who is a regular medical marijuana user, complained after purchasing hash at a Denver dispensary. When she got home and opened the squeeze-top container on her "Bruce Banner Wax," a small silicone ball rolled out. It looked like a bouncy ball from a vending machine.

bruce banner wax balls
(credit: CBS)

She thought there was a mistake until she threw the ball on the floor. The ball split in half and hash spilled out.

"You can't put an adult substance in a child's toy. It's so inappropriate," said the mother who asked us to hide her identity because she didn't want to be labeled a marijuana user at work.

She says she immediately called her dispensary, Firehouse Organics. She claims the dispensary told her it was 'her job' to keep hash away from children.

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"It's a toy and if they ate what was inside they'd end up in the hospital and the parent would end up in jail," she said.

CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger went to Firehouse Organics looking for answers.

"Do you feel like putting hash in a bouncy ball is something children could get their hands on?" asked Sallinger.

A dispensary worker wouldn't comment and referred us to the manufacturer Boulder Pharma.

On the phone, Boulder Pharma owner Mark Hartwig told CBS4 the product was legally packaged in a childproof container and the company didn't realize the ball might be attractive to children. Hartwig told CBS4 he would immediately pull the product from dispensary shelves and replace it with different packaging.

Gina Carbone from Smart Colorado is working to keep marijuana out of the hands of children. She says a child would "run right for it" if they saw the ball. She's also concerned the hollowed out ball would provide an easy way to stash hash.

hash balls
(credit: CBS)

"Teachers wouldn't know. Parents wouldn't know. It just looks like a regular bouncy ball that kids play with," she said.

Law enforcement in states where marijuana is illegal is on the lookout. Police in Riverton, Wyoming recently arrested Kerry Griffith, 44, for attempting to distribute bouncy balls filled with hash believed to be from Colorado.

Internet forums like officer.com are educating law enforcement about different forms of marijuana concentrate and encouraging officers to take a second look if they see an adult with a child's toy.

Mark Ackerman is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. Follow him on Twitter @ackermanmark

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