A worker at a cannabis processing facility in Massachusetts has died after inhaling kief, a powdery substance containing cannabis trichomes.
According to an OSHA inspection report, the Trulieve employee was filling pre-rolls when she complained that she couldn’t breathe.
The report cited three serious violations and said initial penalties totaled more than $35,000.
The fatal accident was highlighted in a recent social media post from Lezli Engelking, founder of FOCUS - Foundation of Cannabis Unified Standards.
“A 27 year old employee…died due to an allergic reaction while processing kief,” she wrote. “The worst bit? This whole, awful situation was totally preventable!!”
Engelking put much of the blame on the lack of federal regulations and fragmented guidance at state levels.
Focus was created to address the “many shortcomings in quality, consistency and safety that became evident with the explosive growth of the global cannabis industry.”
Update: Trulieve Reaches OSHA Settlement
