If you've been following cannabis news, you likely know about Colorado's\nrecent cannabis recalls. Within the last month, Colorado's cannabis\nregulators have issued 13 marijuana recalls due to the use of unapproved\npesticides in marijuana grow operations. These recalls indicate a scary\nproblem in the cannabis industry, and it's one that all consumers should\nbe aware of
\nPesticides and Cannabis
\nOne of the most high-profile recalls in recent history is the\nrecall\nthat hit La Conte's Clone Bar in Colorado, which sells marijuana grown\nby Colorado's Best Inc. During a recent recall, health officials\ndetected the presence of\nimidacloprid in 23\nbatches of the marijuana sold at La Conte's Clone Bar in Colorado.\nImidacloprid is a popular, nicotine-like insecticide that is often used\non agricultural crops but has not been approved for use in cannabis\ncultivation.
\nWhile this specific recall relates to a single dispensary, it's\nindicative of a much larger problem. Washington state recently fined\ntwo marijuana\ngrowers\nfor pesticide use and Colorado has seen dozens of\nrecalls\nbefore this one. At the end of the day, the problem boils down to how,\nand what kind of pesticides are used in cannabis production.
\nAs is true with any agricultural crop, growing marijuana is difficult.\nCannabis plants are prone to predation by insects and damage by disease\nand fungus. While these issues are easily managed in small grow\noperations, larger operations need to find a way to protect their plants\nand meet production demands. Because of this, they often turn to\npesticides.
\nUnfortunately, gaps between federal and state laws have made it\nvirtually impossible for cannabis farmers to find pesticides that are\napproved for use on their plants. In turn, this means that the\npesticides they're applying to keep their plants safe are illegal and,\noften, unregulated. Despite the fact that medical marijuana is now\nlegal in 23\nstates\nand the District of Columbia, and recreational marijuana is legal in\nfour, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule\nI substance, which places it in\nthe same group as drugs like Heroin, LSD and Quaaludes.
\nWhile the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for\ntesting insecticides and pesticides and developing safety guidelines for\ntheir use on crops across the country, federal law explicitly bans the\napproval of pesticides for Schedule I substances, meaning that there are\ncurrently no legal pesticide options for marijuana farmers.
\nThis agricultural loophole has created an enormous problem, wherein\notherwise responsible marijuana farmers are left to take matters into\ntheir hands to protect their crops and consumers are left to purchase\nmarijuana that may be tainted with dangerous pesticides.
\nThe Difference Between Food and Marijuana Testing
\nInsecticides and pesticides are both used commonly in commercial food\nproduction. To keep food safe for consumption, however, the EPA sets\nstrict \"tolerances,\" which\ndefine how much pesticide residue can remain in the meat of or on the\nskin of food. This ensures that pesticide residues stay at harmless\nlevels and keeps the food supply safe for human consumption.\nUnfortunately, commercially-produced cannabis doesn't go through the\nsame testing procedures.
\nBecause the government has yet to step in and implement rigid testing\npractices for commercial cannabis, states are essentially on their own\nwhen it comes to pesticide use in marijuana crops. Some states, like New\nHampshire, have passed regulations that require only the least harmful\npesticides\n(Such as oils derived from Peppermint and\nNeem - a naturally\noccurring pesticide derived from the Neem tree) to be used on cannabis\nplants. Other states, however, have yet to pass pesticide regulation and\nare still lacking defined tolerances from the EPA, which creates a\ndangerous gap in standardized testing practices.
\nAs it stands now, states don't receive any federal guidance when\ndetermining how they will test commercial\nmarijuana.\nRight now, twelve states require random testing to look for pesticide\nresidues while states like New Mexico and Vermont only require cannabis\nto be tested after a complaint about pesticide contamination has been\nlodged. Delaware requires that dispensaries develop their own protocol\nfor testing cannabis but doesn't specify that cannabis samples must be\ntested for pesticide residue. Colorado, on the other hand, doesn't\nrequire any standardized testing and merely requires un-tested cannabis\nto label itself as such. In California, a law passed on the first of the\nyear that requires that commercial marijuana be\ntested\nfor pesticides, mold, and other contaminants. In all states, growers and\ndispensaries are required to pay for any testing conducted, which is\ncost-prohibitive for many. Because of these varied and often spotty\napproaches, consumers are best served by learning to protect themselves\nfrom pesticide-tainted cannabis.
\nProtecting Yourself From Pesticides in Cannabis
\nUntil standardized and monitored testing practices are implemented\nacross the country, consumers can protect themselves from purchasing\ncannabis tainted with pesticides by following these tips:
\nAs it stands now, cannabis testing and pesticide use are both largely\nunregulated. This places consumers at risk of buying tainted and\npossibly dangerous products. Until standardized testing and pesticide\nguidelines are implemented, the best way to mitigate those risks is to\neducate yourself about pesticide use and marijuana testing regulations.
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