The Florida-based marijuana company behind a Holyoke cultivation facility that saw the death of a worker announced it had reached an agreement with the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Twenty-seven-year-old Lorna McMurrey of West Springfield, a worker at the Holyoke location of cannabis company Trulieve, died in January due to an asthma attack after inhaling ground cannabis dust while filling pre-rolled joints, according to OSHA’s investigation. OSHA fined the company $35,219 as a result of the incident, but exonerated Trulieve of direct responsibility.
Ground cannabis dust, also known as “kief,” is popular among recreational users of marijuana due to having a high concentration of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. Per the terms of the agreement, Trulieve must undertake a study to determine whether ground cannabis dust is to be classified as a hazardous chemical while in an occupational setting. That study is expected to be completed at the end of May 2023, according to a release put out by Trulieve.
“We’re pleased to have entered into this agreement with OSHA,” Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve, said in a statement. “We are proud of the many protections we have already put in place for our workers. However, as an industry leader in what is still a relatively new manufacturing business, we want to continue to establish best practices, so our workers can have the health and safety assurances they need.”
As part of the agreement, Trulieve stated that OSHA was also dropping two of the three violation items, leaving the company only having to pay about $14,500, less than half of the original fine.
Under current state regulations administered by the Cannabis Control Commission, establishments authorized to process marijuana must adhere to certain safety guidelines, including that plants must be free of seeds, stems, dirt, sand and debris, as well as free of mold and rot. Regulations make no mention, however, of how to handle cannabis dust.
In the wake of McMurrey’s death, workers for Trulieve across the state have begun to organize and push for unionization to join local chapters of the United Food & Commercial Workers. This includes Local 1459, representing workers in western Massachusetts, as well as Local 1445, active in the eastern part of the state.
Jack Fell, the communications director for Local 1445, said that the union was pushing for greater legislative protections for workers. Workers at several marijuana establishments in the state, such as Green Thumb Industries in Holyoke, are already represented by their local UFCW chapter.
“We’re trying to form a cannabis bill of rights, so that workers have something they can point to, to say this is what we deserve,” Fell said. “We also want these workers to be able to collectively bargain for contracts and collective representation. So that’s what we’re fighting to provide.”
The CCC confirmed to State House News Service in October that it was investigating Trulieve regarding the death of McMurrey. The commission did not immediately respond to requests from the Gazette regarding possible updates to the investigation.
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.
