Colorado marijuana regulators have dramatically expanded a statewide health and safety warning involving cannabis vape cartridges and disposable devices after investigators identified additional products made with potentially unsafe ingredients. The updated advisory now covers affected Craft-branded marijuana vapes sold at 504 licensed stores across Colorado between November 5, 2025 and October 7, 2026, significantly widening an earlier warning that involved 405 stores and products sold during a shorter period beginning in March.
The Colorado Department of Revenue and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment say affected products manufactured by Staycon LLC, doing business as Craft, were associated with methylene chloride, an unapproved synthetic flavoring ingredient, or both, depending on the production batch. Regulators are telling consumers to immediately stop using affected products, destroy them or return them to the licensed marijuana store where they were purchased. The expanded warning has become more urgent because state officials now say they have received reports of adverse health events from people who used Craft products, although authorities have not publicly disclosed how many reports were received or the symptoms involved.
The Warning Has Expanded From 405 Stores to 504
Colorado’s first state health advisory involving the Craft products was issued September 25 after methylene chloride was detected in ingredients used to manufacture certain marijuana vaporizer devices. That initial warning covered affected products distributed through 405 licensed marijuana stores between March 27 and September 25, 2026. Regulators identified numerous batches of cartridges and disposable vape devices that they considered a potential threat to public health because methylene chloride is not permitted as an ingredient in regulated marijuana manufacturing.
The October expansion significantly increases both the geographical and historical scope of the warning. Affected products are now known to have been sold through 504 stores, while the earliest sales covered by the advisory stretch back to November 5, 2025. That means consumers who purchased Craft vape products months before the original March 2026 cutoff may now possess products included in the safety alert. The expansion also reflects a second concern beyond methylene chloride: regulators identified a synthetic flavoring ingredient that does not meet Colorado’s requirements for additives used in inhaled marijuana products.
Consumers Need to Check Production Batch Numbers
The advisory does not mean every Craft vape product sold in Colorado is unsafe. Regulators have identified specific production batches associated with manufacturing license numbers 404R-00170 and 404-00489. Because cannabis products in Colorado must include production information on their packaging, consumers are being instructed to compare the batch number printed on their vape cartridge, disposable device or packaging with the numbers listed in the state advisory.
Affected product lines include batches associated with names such as Sour Diesel and Diesel Dawg, Purple Punch and Grape Gorilla, Green Skunk and Hawaiian Sour, Fresh Squeeze and Orange Sorbet, Pineapple Cake Express, and Grand Daddy Purps and Purple Skunk. Some batches are associated specifically with methylene chloride, while others involve the unapproved flavoring ingredient. The expanded advisory makes batch identification especially important because the same product name may have been manufactured at different times using different ingredients.
Methylene Chloride Is an Industrial Solvent With Serious Health Risks
Methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane or DCM, is a volatile chemical solvent traditionally used in applications including paint stripping, metal cleaning, chemical processing, adhesives and pharmaceutical manufacturing. It has no legitimate role as an inhaled ingredient in a marijuana vape. The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that methylene chloride presents an unreasonable risk to human health under many exposure conditions and has identified acute neurological effects as well as chronic liver and cancer risks.
Human toxicology research has demonstrated that inhaled methylene chloride can affect the body through more than one mechanism. A classic study published in Science by Richard Stewart and colleagues found that volunteers exposed to methylene chloride vapor converted some of the chemical into carbon monoxide, producing measurable elevations in carboxyhemoglobin in the blood. Subsequent pharmacokinetic studies confirmed that humans metabolize methylene chloride through pathways capable of generating carbon monoxide, which reduces the blood’s ability to transport oxygen. At sufficiently high exposures, methylene chloride can also directly depress the central nervous system, producing dizziness, confusion, impaired coordination, loss of consciousness and potentially life-threatening toxicity.
The exposure scenario created by a contaminated cannabis vape is not identical to the occupational exposures used in much of the methylene chloride toxicology literature, and the state has not publicly established the dose inhaled by individual Craft consumers. That uncertainty is one reason regulators are advising people not to continue using affected devices rather than attempting to define a “safe” number of puffs. Cannabis cartridges deliberately deliver heated aerosol deep into the lungs, making an unintended volatile industrial solvent particularly concerning even when its concentration is relatively small.
Colorado Also Identified an Unapproved Synthetic Flavoring Ingredient
The expanded warning goes beyond the methylene chloride contamination discovered in September. Colorado regulators say investigators identified a synthetic flavoring ingredient in additional Craft vaporizer products that was not authorized for use under the state’s marijuana manufacturing rules. Colorado considers it a public health and safety concern when ingredients used in vaporizer devices are neither botanically derived nor included in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Inactive Ingredient Database for inhalation.
That standard exists because an ingredient considered acceptable for food, cosmetics or another route of administration is not automatically safe to inhale. Chemicals behave differently when heated and delivered directly into the respiratory system. A flavor compound that can be swallowed without obvious harm may irritate lung tissue when aerosolized, while heat generated by a vape coil can also transform ingredients into new compounds that were not present in the original formulation.
Research into cannabis vapor chemistry supports that concern. A 2021 Environmental Science & Technology study examining terpenoids commonly used in vaporizable cannabis concentrates found that heating produced numerous degradation products, including acrolein and methacrolein, while also generating large numbers of ultrafine particles. Other work from Portland State University researchers has shown that heated cannabis extracts and terpene mixtures can produce volatile compounds such as benzene, methacrolein and methyl vinyl ketone. The findings do not establish that the specific Craft flavoring ingredient produced those compounds, but they demonstrate why inhalation additives require safety standards that go beyond whether an ingredient smells or tastes acceptable.
Reports of Adverse Health Effects Raise the Stakes
When Colorado issued its original September 25 advisory, state regulators said they had not yet received reports of adverse health events linked to the affected Craft products. That has now changed. In an update issued before the expanded advisory, the Marijuana Enforcement Division confirmed that it and public health officials had begun receiving adverse-event reports from consumers who had used Craft products.
Authorities have not released the number of individuals involved, detailed symptoms or whether any cases required hospitalization. The existence of reports also does not by itself establish that methylene chloride or another ingredient caused every symptom because adverse-event reporting systems initially capture suspected associations rather than proven medical causation. Still, the reports increase the importance of identifying affected batches and give regulators additional information that can be investigated alongside laboratory findings.
Consumers who experience unusual symptoms after using an affected product are being instructed to seek medical attention and report the event to the Marijuana Enforcement Division. Symptoms after inhaling contaminated vapor could potentially vary depending on the chemical involved, concentration, frequency of use, individual health conditions and other exposures. Regulators are not advising consumers to wait for symptoms before stopping use; affected devices should no longer be consumed even when the user currently feels well.
The Problem Was First Detected Outside Colorado’s Routine Testing System
The methylene chloride issue initially came to light after Denver-based Bona Fides Laboratory detected the solvent during third-party testing. Staycon subsequently issued a voluntary recall in September involving dozens of vape products. The company said the contamination was traced to a batch of botanically derived alpha-pinene, a terpene ingredient used to flavor certain products. Alpha-pinene occurs naturally in cannabis and many other plants, but a supposedly botanical terpene ingredient can still become contaminated during extraction, purification, storage or manufacturing.
The incident exposed a significant gap in Colorado’s cannabis testing system. At the time the contaminated ingredient entered products, methylene chloride was not part of the state’s routine required residual-solvent testing panel. Colorado had already developed expanded testing procedures designed to detect the chemical and numerous other solvents, but implementation had been delayed. The new residual-solvent requirements finally took effect September 28, just days after the state issued its first Craft health advisory.
That timeline raises a larger regulatory question about how long contaminated material can circulate when mandatory testing standards do not include the chemicals regulators ultimately determine are dangerous. Some of the products in the expanded warning were sold almost a year before the latest advisory. The case demonstrates that cannabis testing programs cannot remain static as extraction techniques, cannabinoid manufacturing methods, flavor systems and supply chains continue evolving.
Cannabis Vape Chemistry Is More Complex Than Testing the Oil Before Heating
The safety of a vape product cannot be determined solely by measuring what is inside the cartridge before use. The heating process itself becomes part of the chemistry. A 2019 study examining gas-phase emissions from cannabis cartridges and dabbing found that THC and terpene mixtures could break down into compounds including benzene and methacrolein when heated. Researchers also found that adding terpenes could increase the amount of certain gas-phase degradation products compared with THC alone.
More recent research has continued to show that cannabinoids themselves can chemically transform during vaporization. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Chromatography A found that heating CBD, CBDA and delta-9 THC in electronic vaping systems produced secondary cannabinoids and other transformation products, with many changes becoming more pronounced as coil power increased. A 2025 review of cannabis concentrate vaping chemistry concluded that consumers can potentially be exposed to known toxicants created during heating and emphasized how little research exists relative to the popularity of cannabis vaping.
These studies help explain why Colorado’s rule regarding inhalation ingredients is significant. Vape manufacturers are not merely mixing flavor compounds into a product that remains chemically unchanged. Ingredients encounter high temperatures on a small metal heating element immediately before inhalation. Regulators therefore have to consider the ingredient itself, possible contaminants inside the ingredient and compounds that may form when that ingredient is heated.
The Warning Revives Questions About Colorado’s Cannabis Testing System
Colorado was one of the first states in the country to build a regulated recreational marijuana market, and its testing system has evolved repeatedly as regulators have encountered new contaminants and manufacturing practices. The Craft investigation highlights the challenge of keeping those standards current. A contaminant can be prohibited in manufacturing while still remaining invisible to routine compliance tests if laboratories are not required to look for it.
Another debated issue involves how cannabis samples are selected for testing. Colorado manufacturers generally retain substantial control over which laboratories they use and how material enters the compliance testing process. Regulators considered stronger independent-sampling requirements during recent rule discussions but did not fully implement the proposed system after industry members raised cost and logistical concerns. Testing experts have argued that the validity of a laboratory result depends not only on analytical equipment but also on whether the sample accurately represents the production batch consumers actually receive.
The September methylene chloride discovery also occurred against a broader regulatory crackdown on illegally converted hemp-derived cannabinoids entering Colorado’s licensed marijuana market. Methylene chloride can be used in various chemical processes, including some cannabinoid conversion procedures, which has led to industry speculation about possible sources of contamination. Staycon has attributed the detected solvent to a contaminated terpene ingredient, and the current state advisory does not accuse the company of manufacturing THC through illegal hemp conversion. Regulators have described their investigation as ongoing.
What Colorado Cannabis Consumers Should Do Now
Consumers who have purchased Craft cartridges or disposable vapes should retain the original package when possible and check the production batch identifier rather than relying solely on the product name. Affected products should not be used again. Colorado officials recommend either destroying them or returning them to the licensed marijuana store where they were purchased so the product can be handled through the regulated disposal process.
People who experience adverse effects after using a recalled product should seek appropriate medical care and report the event to state regulators. Providing the exact product name, manufacturer, production batch number, purchase location and approximate dates of use can make an adverse-event report considerably more useful to investigators. Consumers should also avoid assuming that a vape is unaffected simply because it was purchased before the original September warning; the expanded advisory now reaches back to products sold beginning November 5, 2025.
The warning also provides a broader lesson for cannabis consumers who use vape cartridges. Products manufactured and sold through licensed dispensaries generally operate under far more oversight than unregulated market products, but legal-market status does not make contamination impossible. Keeping packaging, reviewing state recall notices and purchasing products with clearly identifiable manufacturers and batch information can make it easier to determine whether a product is affected when regulators issue a safety alert.
Affected Craft Vape Batch Numbers Consumers Should Check Immediately
Consumers should look for marijuana products manufactured under license numbers 404R-00170 or 404-00489 and compare the production batch number printed on the label with the affected codes. Colorado’s initial methylene chloride advisory specifically identified the following 87 production batches, which remain important to the broader safety action. The later expanded advisory also covers additional products associated with the unapproved synthetic flavoring ingredient, so consumers should stop using any Craft product identified by Colorado regulators as part of the expanded warning.
Green Skunk / Hawaiian Sour
- RW.CRFD060226.2.GSK
- RW.CRFD072726.4.GSK
- RW.CRFD061526.1.GSK
- RW.CRFD040726.4.GSK
- RW.CRFD061026.4.GSK
- RW.CRFD042726.1.GSK
- RW.CRFD031626.1.GSK
Grand Daddy Purps / Purple Skunk
- RW.CRFD060226.2.GDP
- RW.CRFD060226.1.GDP
- RW.CRFD033026.2.GDP
- RW.CRFD052526.4.GDP
- RT.GOLD041526.GDP
- RW.CRFD041626.1.GDP
- RW.CRFD040926.4.GDP
- RW.CRFD031326.1.GDP
- RW.CRFD031326.4.GDP
- RW.CRFD080426.4.GDP
Mango Kush / Tropical Punch
- RW.CRFD051926.1.MK
- RW.CRFD060226.2.MK
- RW.CRFD061126.4.MK
- RW.CRFD060126.4.MK
- RW.CRFD041726.1.MK
- RW.CRFD040726.4.MK
- RW.CRFD031626.1.MK
- RW.CRFD031326.4.MK
- RW.R.CRFD081926.2.MK
Super Lemon Haze / Hazy Citrus
- RW.CRFD051126.1.SLH
- RW.CRFD060226.2.SLH
- RW.CRFD032526.1.SLH
- RW.CRFD081726.2.SLH
Fresh Squeeze / Orange Sorbet
- RW.CRFD060126.1.FSQ
- RW.CRFD052526.2.FSQ
- RW.CRFD062526.4.FSQ
- RW.CRFD042126.1.FSQ
- RW.CRFD052126.4.FSQ
- RW.CRFD040226.4.FSQ
Maui Wowie / Jungle Punch
- RW.CRFD060826.1.MW
- RW.CRFD071326.2.MW
- RW.CRFD062926.4.MW
- RW.CRFD041626.1.MW
- RW.CRFD052526.4.MW
- RW.CRFD033026.2.MW
- RW.CRFD042026.4.MW
- RW.CRFD031826.4.MW
Sour Diesel / Diesel Dawg
- RW.CRFD072126.1.SD
- RW.CRFD081126.2.SD
- RW.CRFD072226.4.SD
- RW.CRFD060226.2.SD
- RW.CRFD051226.4.SD
- RW.CRFD050526.1.SD
- RW.CRFD033126.1.SD
Purple Punch / Grape Gorilla
- RW.CRFD081726.2.PP
- RW.CRFD072226.4.PP
- RW.CRFD060126.1.PP
- RW.CRFD062326.2.PP
- RW.CRFD060126.4.PP
- RW.CRFD033026.2.PP
- RW.CRFD042126.1.PP
- RW.CRFD033026.1.PP
- RW.CRFD040726.4.PP
Banana Kush / Ghost Haze
- RW.CRFD081726.2.BNK
- RW.CRFD072726.4.BNK
- RW.CRFD052026.4.BNK
- RW.CRFD061726.1.BNK
- RW.CRFD060326.2.BNK
- RW.CRFD050426.1.BNK
- RW.CRFD040226.4.BNK
- RW.CRFD033126.1.BNK
- RW.CRFD031326.4.BNK
- RW.CRFD050726.4.BNK
Blueberry Bubble / Sweet Peach
- RW.CRFD080626.2.BB
- RW.CRFD072826.1.BB
- RW.CRFD082026.4.BB
- RW.CRFD052526.4.BB
- RW.CRFD050726.1.BB
- RW.CRFD071626.4.BB
- RW.CRFD060326.2.BB
- RW.CRFD032326.2.BB
- RW.CRFD033126.1.BB
- RW.CRFD033126.4.BB
Pineapple Cake Express
- RW.CRFD072826.2.PCE
- RW.CRFD072826.1.PCE
- RW.CRFD041726.4.PCE
- RW.CRFD050426.1.PCE
- RW.CRFD032326.1.PCE
- RW.CRFD072826.4.PCE
- RW.CRFD062426.2.PCE
Anyone who finds a matching batch number should immediately stop using the product. Colorado regulators recommend destroying affected vapes or returning them to the licensed marijuana store where they were purchased for proper disposal. Consumers who experience adverse health effects should seek medical attention and report the incident to the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division.
A Major Test of Cannabis Regulation in a Mature Legal Market
Colorado’s expanded Craft advisory is notable not simply because one manufacturer produced affected vape products, but because of the scale and duration of distribution. Products covered by the warning passed through 504 licensed stores over an approximately 11-month period before the advisory reached its current scope. The episode demonstrates how an ingredient-level problem can spread widely through a modern cannabis supply chain when the same formulation is used across many production batches and product lines.
The response is now likely to influence how regulators and manufacturers think about terpene sourcing, flavor ingredients, supplier documentation and residual-solvent testing. Cannabis companies may need to scrutinize certificates of analysis for ingredients with the same intensity applied to cannabis extracts themselves, while testing rules will increasingly need to address chemicals associated with modern cannabinoid conversion and vape manufacturing rather than only the solvents common when legalization began.
For Colorado consumers, the immediate message is much simpler. The state has broadened its warning, affected products were sold at hundreds of stores, and adverse health events are now being reported. Anyone who still possesses a Craft marijuana vape covered by the listed production batches should stop using it. For the larger cannabis industry, the case is a reminder that the safety of a vape depends on every part of the product—from the cannabinoid oil and flavor ingredients to laboratory testing and the chemistry that occurs when the device is heated and inhaled.
