Smoke and mirrors?

Headed by Co-Founder and CEO at Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs Dr. Josh Swider, the Michigan for Safe Cannabis Coalition (MiSCCo) is testing Delta 9 THC oil for byproducts that are not found in cannabis plants or the chemicals used to produce them. 

The search for byproducts has been successful.

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MiSCCo is a registered non-profit coalition of Michigan cannabis business owners and operators committed to promoting product safety, regulatory transparency and consumer protection within the cannabis industry, according to its website.

"Our members are made up of leading cannabis businesses in the Michigan regulated market including 3rd party analytical laboratories, cultivation, processor, and retail businesses," its website reads. "We believe in ... educating consumers on the hazards of synthetic products while sharing business resources to help operators better adhere to a more transparent, more precise analytical reporting. 

"We believe the cannabis industry can be better, and it starts with giving the consumers confidence their product was grown, processed and manufactured from Michigan cannabis regulated facilities." 

Swider began testing recreational marijuana products for MiSCCo around two years ago. Of particular interest is  Cannabidiol (CBD) that has been synthetically converted to Delta 9 in vaporizer pens, which may include Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) oil, Para-Toluene Sulfonic Acid (PTSA) and pesticides.

PTSA is a synthetic processing chemical that, when inhaled, is extremely corrosive and destructive to the upper respiratory tract, which can be fatal. That's according to safety documentation released by Parcham, a global industrial chemical distributor based out of New Rochelle, N.Y.

MCT, often used as a cutting agent or terpenes stabilizer, has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for inhalation. The product has been banned for cannabis use in Michigan since 2024, due to potential respiratory health effects.

And yet, that's not keeping the chemicals out of the state.

According to MiSSCo’s April 2025 audit report, 65% of brands that are not members of the coalition were found to use synthetic (non-cannabis-derived) Delta 9 THC.

Out of 35 products from 17 non-member brands tested directly from the shelves, 54.3% of samples were made with synthetic Delta 9 THC. Of these, 26.3% contained PTSA.

Additionally, 20% of non-member samples failed current Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA)-mandated testing, with 14.3% containing MCT oil.

Members of MiSCCo that were tested -- such as Vapin Ape, Drip, Crude Boys, Redbud Roots and Trap House --passed all CRA regulatory tests, meaning none of their tested products contained synthetic Delta 9 THC or PTSA.

How did this happen?

Nick Young, CEO of Krystilion Hemp Dispensary and a professor at Western Michigan University, is involved with MiSCCo’s study from a consumer advocacy perspective.

Young said that Michigan producers can manipulate the seed-to-sale tracking system to illegally import products that have been improperly converted to THC, since the state's compliance testing process does not screen for synthetic-conversion oils. These producers have eliminated the costs of planting and production that come with state regulations, and can sell their products at a much lower price.

For retailers, as prices continue to drop, it's become a race to the bottom.

Young said that most of the time, retailers are completely unaware of this. As there are no physically identifiable traits that suggest synthetic oil is present in a product, the majority of retailers can not be implicated. But, there are exceptions.

“There is a blissfully ignorant side of it,” he said. “And then there is a malicious ... ‘We know what we're doing, and we know that it's bad, but we're going to keep going because we know we can source this for cheaper than the store down the street and we're going to win the battle of time.’”

MiSCO's Swider said some producers are stopping at the critical “cleaning” step of the conversion process, likely due to the costs of removing byproducts and solvents.

Brands consistently failing MiSCCo’s testing procedures, or repeat offenders, do exist in the cannabis industry, Swider said. He has been threatened and pressured to stop his studies and refrain from publishing his findings, from individuals presumably tied to such companies.

The "repeat offender" brands have not been released at this time. Young said that the comprehensive results of the study will be "rolled out" in a coordinated fashion.

“It’s profit over ethics, profit over safety,” Swider said. “What some of these people are just looking at is bottom lines and dollars, and not necessarily consumer protection or the legitimacy of the industry,” Swider said.

A problem of disparity

Products containing synthetic oil are currently being sold in dispensaries, meaning consumers could be directly  impacted by the leftover byproducts. Swider said that typically, the cheaper a vape cartridge is, the more harmful it could potentially be.

“No one really knows this problem is going on," Swider said. “No one knows why they can go get a $2 vape pen, and those normally correspond with the ones that are actually synthetic conversion.”

The correlation between lower-priced products being more likely to contain harmful byproducts is concerning for Swider. It disproportionately impacts those of a lower income.

“There's some people who say, 'Well, (the consumers) won't care, it’s a cheaper product,'” he said. “And that's one of the things I think, if anything, it should be their choice. And then the CRA shouldn't allow this kind of thing in my opinion, into the industry. 

"The choice shouldn't even be there in the first place.” 

The health implications of inhaling these chemicals have not been studied long-term, which makes it difficult to determine the true impact that synthetic oil has on a consumer.

“For the byproducts that are created, there's no study done on them yet, and there's no one that could say it's safe or unsafe,” Swider said. “I'm saying it's a major health concern, potentially because these are new compounds now being ingested and vaporized.”

The CRA’s new rule

According to Swider and Young, the CRA added a regulation to their upcoming rule set in May that bans synthetic conversion in the processing of THC products in Michigan.

Public Relations Manager for the CRA, David Harns, said that the Agency’s process for adopting a new ruleset is underway. A public comment meeting will allow the public to "weigh in" on the proposed rules prior to their implementation.

“One of (the rules) is prohibiting the conversion of nonintoxicating cannabinoids to intoxicating cannabinoids," Harns said. "We received that information as feedback from stakeholders over the last couple of years as we've been putting this rule set together and we've put that into the rule set and look forward to public comment on Tuesday, if people have any thoughts or suggestions about it.”

As for the enforcement of this new rule, Harns said that there would not be any additional precautions made.

“It would be treated just like any of our rules, where we would investigate any issues and apply any disciplinary action as needed,” he said.

This new rule suggests that Michigan is taking steps towards "cleaner" products, but Young and Swider said there is still work to be done.

What happens next?

The next steps for MiSCCo’s study is currently undecided, as Young said that there are a variety of approaches that can be taken with the disbursement of the data collected.

“There's a couple schools of thought here,” Young said. “Some of it is, you know, just blast the (repeat offenders), right? And just let the consumers know and let the consumers make an educated decision, because these same brands have stood to profit off of not educating customers. So there's that end of it. 

"There's also the other end of it is, do we help promote the brands who have a 100% pass rate?”

Swider said that the ultimate goal of his study is to get the illegally synthetically-converted cannabis products off the shelves of dispensaries. 

The years of work that he has put into this study is not for fame or accolades, he said, but rather to improve upon the cannabis industry.

“This doesn't make me any money. I do this out of a passion for consumer safety and science,” Swider said.