Trulieve Cannabis was fined $350,000 by Massachusetts regulators following a worker’s death in 2022.
According to an OSHA inspection report, the Trulieve employee was filling pre-rolls when she complained that she couldn’t breathe. It was later determined that she died after inhaling kief, a powdery substance containing cannabis trichomes.
WATCH: Cannabis Worker Dies from Breathing in Kief
The settlement with regulators found that Trulieve’s cannabis facility had failed to comply with certain workplace standards like providing adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and reassessing processing activities for hazards. Regulators also claim that Trulieve did not offer the employee another place to work within the facility.
In December 2022, Trulieve announced that it had reached a settlement with OSHA which it said will result in additional health and safety protections for Trulieve workers at its cannabis manufacturing facilities. As part of the agreement, the original $35,219 fine against Trulieve has been reduced to $14,502.
At the time, Trulieve said it would undertake a study to determine whether ground cannabis dust is required to be classified as a "hazardous chemical" in the occupational setting. Work on the study was scheduled to be complete by May 29, 2023.
Pending the outcome of the study, Trulieve said it would design and implement a temporary information and training program that alerts employees to potential allergic reactions they might experience working with ground cannabis dust in an occupational setting.
