Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times,
Companies that legally sell recreational marijuana to adults are being sued in Illinois and Connecticut for allegedly not warning customers of the possible health problems caused by the drug.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say these proposed class actions—four in all—that were filed May 4 in federal and state courts are the first of their kind. Federal and state court rules govern whether a class action gets certified and is allowed to proceed.
The lawsuits come after recent studies reported that marijuana use can change human DNA and cause psychosis, and that the drug increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other causes.
The newly filed legal complaints say that cannabis is highly addictive and can contribute to mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, and depression.
About 129 million Americans say they have used marijuana at some point in their lives. As more states legalize use of the drug, that figure is expected to rise.
The lawsuits allege that the defendants—Cresco, Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries, and Verano—marketed recreational marijuana for its supposed medicinal benefits to generate billions of dollars in revenues, while not letting consumers know of health risks.
Attorney Jack Franks in Marengo, Illinois, said the plaintiffs are seeking damages for overpaying or being misled into buying the products.
They are also seeking clear product warnings that spell out the mental and physical health risks, Franks told The Epoch Times.
“It’s a legal product in many states, but it’s not adequately laid out what the risks are,” he said.
“They deliberately marketed highly potent products while concealing the known risks. Our clients deserve the truth.”
Attorney James Bilsborrow of New York City said the case rests upon “decades of gold-standard medical research establishing that cannabis, especially high-potency cannabis, is wreaking havoc on public health.”
“Rather than warn consumers about these well-established dangers, the cannabis industry, following the tobacco and opioid industries’ playbook, has denied the risks and marketed its products as safe or even therapeutic,” he told The Epoch Times.
The plaintiffs in the Illinois lawsuit are 41 consumers who purchased cannabis products, according to the federal class action filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The legal complaint alleges that cannabis purveyors promote their products to “an unsuspecting public through a public relations megaphone as the antidote to ailments of all kinds, including, among others, insomnia, narcolepsy, over-eating, cancer, auto-immune disorders, neuropathy, pain, anger, boredom, sadness, shyness, irritable bowel syndrome, grief, and opioid addiction.”
The similar Connecticut lawsuit names as plaintiffs 18 consumers who bought marijuana products.
The legal complaints for the lawsuits filed in state courts in Illinois and Connecticut were not available at publication time. The plaintiffs’ attorneys said the state lawsuits are largely the same as the federal lawsuits.
A Verano spokesman told The Epoch Times that the company strongly disagrees “with the allegations and [intends] to defend the matter vigorously.”
“This lawsuit is part of a broader litigation campaign that plaintiffs’ counsel has brought against several multi-state cannabis operators, and mirrors claims that have been rejected by courts in similar legal actions against multi-state operators in the industry earlier this year,” the company said.
Verano complies with applicable state laws and regulations, including those related to labeling, testing, and warning requirements, the company said.
“The medical use and benefits of cannabis have also long been recognized by the states themselves, as reflected in the comprehensive medical marijuana programs that state legislatures and regulators have established and overseen for years.”
The Epoch Times reached out for comment to the defendants, Cresco, Curaleaf, and Green Thumb Industries.
No replies were received by publication time.