A Colorado-based marijuana vape manufacturer has issued a recall for 49 of its products due to contamination with methylene chloride, a chemical linked to cancer and banned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for most uses. The recall was announced last week after a third-party lab discovered the contaminant in a "botanically-derived" flavoring compound used in the products. The affected vapes, sold under brand names like Maui Wowie and Grape Gorilla, had been available in dispensaries for more than a year and a half. The recall highlights ongoing concerns about the safety of marijuana products in the state, as testing procedures to detect such contaminants have faced delays. The contamination was identified by David Mathis, owner of Bona Fides Laboratory, which detected methylene chloride during routine testing for other harmful substances such as pesticides and mold. Mathis notified both the state and the manufacturer six weeks before the recall was announced. However, the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division has not issued its own public alert. A spokesperson for the division, Kyle Boyd, said the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations when asked about the delay in publicizing the recall. This situation comes amid reports of regulatory gaps in Colorado’s marijuana oversight. The Denver Gazette and ProPublica have highlighted how these gaps have allowed potentially harmful products to remain on store shelves for extended periods. Earlier this year, the same outlets investigated the dangers of methylene chloride, which is used to convert hemp into tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana. Though state law prohibits this chemical conversion, it has continued to occur, with products falsely labeled as marijuana-based. Methylene chloride was banned for most uses by the EPA in 2024, but a recent court ruling overturned that ban, sending the issue back to the agency for further review. Meanwhile, Colorado has delayed implementing new testing rules that would have detected methylene chloride and 30 other harmful solvents. These rules were supposed to be in place by July, but the state public health department said it needed more time to review labs and their certifications. Implementation is now set to begin at the end of the month. However, a longstanding issue remains: manufacturers still choose which labs test their products and which samples are tested, a practice regulators had considered changing but abandoned due to concerns about increased costs.