Exploding 'Pot Pop' Pulled From Shelves

Bottles of pot-infused sparkling pomegranate soda exploded recently at a Bellingham pot shop. After selling ten bottles of the pop from Longview-based Mirth Provisions on their first day of business, employees at Top Shelf Cannabis saw and heard glass bottles of the beverage burst at random, reports KOMO. When staff opened the store on its second day of business they discovered "a sticky mess of broken bottles and shards of glass throughout the store." Some of the 330 bottles in its order erupted overnight.

Cloaked in protective clothing and wearing a face shield, an employee moved the cartons of remaining soda into a steel box outside, where it continued exploding for ten days. "It's almost like a bomb box because they randomly go off during the day," Henifin tells KOMO.

Mirth Provisions founder Adam Stites says the Bellingham store isn't the only one to deal with the exploding drink, which he says is linked to a higher concentration of yeast in the soda batch that produced too much carbon dioxide.

The Washington Liquor Control Board closely regulates how marijuana products including Mirth's soda are packaged and shipped; State law requires the pot shop to "quarantine" the product for 72 hours while an inspector from the board examines it for compliance. Mirth is offering a refund and picking up the bottles.