SAINT CLOUD, Minn. – More than 70 pounds of illegal THC gummies were seized from a local St. Cloud business, some of which were more than 100 times the legal limit.
St. Cloud police, along with city and state health officials, converged on a Division Street strip mall last week to execute a search warrant at Smoke N’ Cloud Tobacco.
Police said they had received complaints that the store was selling illegal products. At the store, police said they seized more than 32 pounds of illegal THC gummies.
“This is the biggest we’ve ever seen, absolutely,” said St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis.
Some gummies were 120 times the legal limit per serving, police said.
Authorities also seized a significant quantity of cannabis buds, which were destroyed. Smoke N’ Cloud Tobacco employees declined to comment on the raid.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, it is the seller’s responsibility to comply with product limits set by state statute. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to $10,000 per occurrence.
This latest failure could lead to fines and even criminal charges. The police are still investigating.
“That is simply very unsafe for the public and completely ignores legal requirements,” Kleis said.
According to MDH, more than 1,000 compliance checks have been conducted, with 65% of retailers breaking the law for selling products with illegal THC levels.
These violations have resulted in $500,000 worth of THC products being destroyed.
By law, food and beverages may not contain more than 5 milligrams of THC per serving.
“It’s a matter of understanding for people who are involved in this kind of business that they cannot circumvent the law and sell something that is an illegal product,” Kleis said.
