Counterfeit Cannabis

Like any new industry there is going to be a little turbulence to get up in running. In the case of the California cannabis market there has been a lot of turbulence and it looks like it might be while before help is on the way. One of the mounting issues for cannabis companies is the dissemination of of counterfeit products. Counterfeiting is a practice that happens all over the world in every industry. The cannabis industry is not exempt. Brands like King Pen, BrassKnuckles, Heavy Hitters, Stiizy and others have had counterfeit vapes flood the market.

What is the difference between a fake vape pen and an authentic vape?

• Authentic vapes have been tested for lead, pesticides and other containments

• Counterfeit vapes have not undergone the same testing and can have traces of lead, pesticides and other containments present.

• The cartridge and the oil in that is present can both be counterfeit items.

One of the issues is the barcode scanners for the track and trace technology is that it cannot distinguish the knock off barcodes for the legitimate barcodes. The knock off jobs are so identical that often consumers can’t tell the difference. Companies are taking greater steps to educate their customers on the differences between real and knock off vapes. Stizzy released a video showing how to spot the difference between their products and knock off products. If you hold their pens upside down next to a knockoff, the oil will rise to the top slower than its counterpart. That has to do with the composition of the oil and its purity. Brands are encouraging patrons to only get their products from a licensed retailer. There have also been new businesses created in the wake of this problem as well. AuthentiBrand offers custom hologram and authentication solutions for companies that have their own brands. This helps with identifying genuine products from fake ones.