Outlines the dangers of using counterfeit cartridges and the clues for how to tell fake Raw Garden carts from the genuine items sold in California dispensaries.
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One of the laws of nature seems to be that when something good starts becoming popular, the counterfeiters move into the territory. And that’s the case with Raw garden live resin cartridges, with buyers now being targeted by cheap fakes pouring in — and containing who knows what!
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Raw Garden is a primary target in the fake cartridge market as it’s built a reputation for the purity and effectiveness of its snap-frozen, single-origin whole-of-plant product that has seen it become one of the top brands for live resin fans — and seen it win multiple awards.
So now of course Raw Garden counterfeiters are advertising the fakes across the internet, and it’s very much a case of caveat emptor (buyer beware) not only because they’re not the real thing — that in itself would be bad enough — but because it’s likely they contain harmful chemicals, possibly even heavy metals such as glyphosate (the pesticide used in RoundUp), lead and copper.
Or they could also be cut with with harmful substances as filler. Again, you have no way of knowing what’s in the fakes.
We’re already seeing deaths from counterfeit vaping cartridges, with the USA toll close to 50 at the time of writing this, and many hospitalised with permanent lung injury (including a relative of ours … hence this article).
How to tell fake Raw Garden carts: the clues
The Raw Garden cart packaging
Unfortunately, Raw Garden’s packaging is simple and uncluttered, which of course makes it easy to counterfeit. And some overseas sites are already bulk-selling the fake packaging so back-alley counterfeiters can continue their work even more easily.
Despite this, there are a lot of fakes out there using cardboard that is not the same white as Raw Garden’s and in some cases it’s even grey. That’s the first clue that this isn’t the genuine item.
If you have some Raw Garden product that you’ve purchased from a reputable source and that you know to be genuine, it’s wise to hang onto the packaging for a comparison if you’re planning to buy some that could be fake. If it looks suspicious when it arrives, you’re best to toss it if you can’t get your money back. Yes, you lose the money, but at least you don’t up losing your lungs — or other organs — by using it.
Raw Garden dispensary sticker
All Raw Garden cartridges sold from reputable dispensaries will carry the normal stickers and seals, which will include that dispenary’s license number, the date of manufacture, and of course the QR code to scan.
Genuine Raw Garden serial number and batch number
The Raw Garden serial numbers are more difficult to authenticate, as the serial number can start with a range of letters: CA, L, or M for a start. However, many of the fakes on the market are using the batch number HV221, so if this is on the ones you are looking at, you can be pretty damn sure they are fake Raw Garden carts.
The seller’s location
Only genuinely licensed dispensaries in the state of California are legally selling genuine Raw Garden carts. If you bought interstate or online from overseas, it’s a pretty good chance that it’s a fake.
The Raw Garden CCELL
The CCELL system Raw Garden uses is actually hard to counterfeit perfectly, so this is another good clue for how to tell fake Raw Garden carts.
Look on the bottom of the cart for the three hallmarks that should be stamped on there: the CCELL logo or Jupiter, a K bottle stamp and the serial number. All three must be there and crisply and clearly stamped — and the fonts and alignment should be perfect. If any of them are poorly aligned, or crooked, or if the numbers look wonky, it’s a fake Raw Garden cart.
Also compare the size of the stamps and the numbers to a genuine one… they should be identical. Fakes often fail to match the genuine size and font.
Cartridge construction
The fake Raw Garden carts will often be larger and look more clumsy, and the cental rod will be thicker than in the genuiine Raw Garden carts.
The advertising
For a start, if the seller is saying “same as the real ones” they are admitting they’re fakes. And you can be assured they are NOT going to be “same as the real ones” at all.
The price
This comes down to the old adage that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.
Genuiine Raw Garden vape cartridges sell for approximately $30 to $35 for 500mg and approx $60 for the 1gm carts. If the price you’re seeing is much cheaper than that, you’re looking at counterfeits.
Do you have more information?
If anybody has more information on how to tell fake Raw Garden carts, please feel free to send it to us and we’ll add it to the article (with attribution to to you) to help keep the public safe from these dangerous scammers..
