Levels of THC in edibles at Waikiki store more potent than those sold at licensed dispensaries

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Hawaii News Now investigation of THC edibles being sold to the public discovered potentially dangerous levels of the drug in multiple products, which shouldn’t even be on store shelves.

HNN started looking into the products after getting a tip. We sent a producer to buy samples and had them tested.

The results were alarming: All but one of the edibles we purchased were more potent than what’s being sold at the state’s licensed medical marijuana dispensaries.

The products were purchased at a business called Pinky’s Hempire, which is among the many merchants with colorful kiosks on Duke’s Lane in Waikiki. The business has signs advertising health benefits of a cannabinoid called Delta-8 THC.

And their workers boast about their products’ potency.

“I told the guy, cut it in five pieces. And cut those pieces in half,” one worker told our producer, cautioning him of another customer’s experience. “He ate half a brownie. And said he was f**** for the rest of the day.”

At a second location, another associate promoted Pinky’s house-made “Rice Krispyz Treats.”

“We make these, too,” she said showing our producer. “They’re 100 milligrams each. They’re pretty strong.”

But HNN found many of their claims about the content of products ― and legality of the sales ― were very misleading.

Dr. Clifton Otto, a certified cannabinoid medicine specialist, called the situation alarming. “I think it certainly is an issue from a health and public safety perspective,” he said.

World of THC products is confusing

To understand why the products we tested could be dangerous, there are several things you need to know.

First, most food products made using hemp are banned in Hawaii. That means items like THC candies, cereal bars and baked goods shouldn’t even be on store shelves ― except for at licensed medical marijuana dispensaries.

You also need to understand the difference between Delta-8 and Delta-9. Both are forms of THC.

Delta-8 is derived from hemp, a type of cannabis that when ingested can cause some mild psychoactive effects.

Delta-9 is the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana. It’s what get’s you high.

Levels found in products could be ‘disastrous’

After getting a tip that some of Pinky’s edibles contained potentially dangerous levels of THC, we sent our producer to purchase five different products from two of the store’s locations. Then we had all of them tested at a state-certified lab to determine exactly how much THC each product contained. The results were eye-opening ― and worrisome.

Otto, the cannabinoid specialist, reviewed the findings for HNN.

He said they show customers are “ending up with products that have more Delta-9 THC per unit than what the dispensaries are allowed to sell.” Indeed, that was the case in all but one of the edibles HNN purchased.

Tests showed a Delta-8 THC+THCO Cereal Bar contained nearly 68 milligrams of Delta-9 THC.

On the wrapper, the only dosing information was to eat one bite and wait 45 minutes before eating more.

“Sixty-eight milligrams of THC is a very hefty dose,” Otto said.

“The dispensaries I believe are only allowed to sell individual units of 10 milligrams of THC-9. That amount of THC at one time, especially in a naïve user, could be disastrous. That could be a trip to the emergency department.”

And that bar was far from the most potent product HNN had tested.

A regular “Rice Krispyz Treat” and a “Strawberry Rice Krispyz Treat” our producer purchased each contained well over 100 milligrams of THC-9. That’s more than 10 times stronger than any edible at a licensed dispensary.

Store owner claims he’s within the law

We took our lab results on the products to the Pinky’s storefront on Kuhio Avenue. Employees were able to get an owner named Mark White on the phone. He declined to do an interview right then with Hawaii News Now, but said he believes he’s operating legally.

He told HNN that workers do make candy with THC extract but added Pinky’s “does not have an extract operation” and they “cannot make resins.” He said all of its purchased from two “reputable vendors” in Oregon.

He also said he has “DEA lab reports” for every one of their products.

State acknowledges HNN’s findings, but initially declined to investigate

Otto, the trained medical specialist, said this about the situation: “This is something the state really needs to get involved in.”

The state Department of Health has authority over all hemp products being sold in Hawaii. That includes the ability to remove products from store shelves. DOH confirmed the type of products our producer purchased should not be sold in hemp stores.

Immediately after getting our lab results, HNN contacted the agency to provide them with the findings.

A spokesperson initially tried to pass it off to law enforcement saying, “DOH can’t accept the test results and samples because we can’t accept Schedule I substances.”

It wasn’t until HNN pressed the issue that the Health Department offered to pass the information along to DOH investigators.

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