Cannabis Workers Report Illness After Paint Fumes at TerrAscend Dispensary

[PRESS RELEASE] – CUMBERLAND, Md., July 29, 2025 – Workers at The Apothecarium, a cannabis dispensary in Cumberland, Md., owned by TerrAscend, have reported serious health symptoms following exposure to paint fumes inside the facility. According to multiple employee accounts, workers experienced headaches, nausea, dizziness and vomiting after painting occurred without sufficient ventilation or notification.

Several of those affected were unable to complete their shifts or return to work the following day. Workers have also reported that they were required to use their own paid time off (PTO) to recover, despite asserting that the illnesses were directly caused by the working environment.

In response, several employees have filed official complaints with the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Both agencies have confirmed receipt of the complaints, and an active investigation is currently underway. Additionally, workers have spoken with elected officials and with workers’ comp lawyers. 

Workers requested safety data sheets during the initial painting incident on July 2, but were not provided those until the fourth week of July. Federal and state laws require that an employer immediately provide safety data sheets to workers upon request when chemicals are being used at their workplace

According to union representatives, the initial incident involving indoor painting and a spike in air quality concerns occurred in early July. Workers requested that a union-provided air quality monitor be used to assess safety levels, but the company initially declined and then delayed that request for days. The workers and union officials attempted to address the issue of abatement, but the facility was reportedly painted again on or around July 21, leading to a second round of reported illness among staff.

During that second incident, the air monitor recorded elevated total volatile organic compound (TVOC) levels, which are known to be associated with symptoms like those described by workers. In response, the company questioned the accuracy of the monitor, which was not a company-provided device.

These incidents come amid a larger labor dispute, as workers at the Cumberland location voted in August 2024 to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 27. Since then, union representatives have claimed that TerrAscend has delayed bargaining efforts and refused to agree to basic contract standards like just cause protections.

“These workers showed up to do their jobs, and instead they got sick,” Local 27 President Jason Chorpenning said. “The company has a responsibility to provide a safe workplace. No worker should be made to use their own paid time off just to recover from something they were exposed to on the job. We’re not going to stop fighting until the workers get justice, safety and a fair contract.”

Local 27 is calling for:

• A halt to all chemical or painting activity inside the facility without a third-party clearance;
• Restoration of all PTO taken by workers for illness related to these incidents; and
• Immediate and good-faith bargaining toward a first union contract.