Last updated : November 18, 2024
In October, two Denver marijuana growers—Colorado Care Facility and TruCannabis—voluntarily recalled several dozen marijuana products due to potentially dangerous and unapproved pesticides. Products including marijuana flowers and hash concentrates were recalled after they tested positive for Mycobutanil, Imidacloprid, and Spiromefesin, none of which can be used legally on marijuana in the state. Some of the products produced by the companies may still have been made available for purchase despite the recall.
The use of pesticides on marijuana crop requires much more consideration than other organic produce as the plant may be smoked, extracted, infused, or eaten. Most states with legal marijuana are only now attempting to set safe limits on chemical use and the testing in place in most areas is far from perfect.
This isn’t the first time the issue of pesticide use on marijuana has made headlines. In July, The Oregonian commissioned independent testing of 10 marijuana concentrates from state dispensaries and found that almost all of the samples had pesticides, including at least six that are classified as having a possible or probable link to cancer by the federal government.
Earlier this year, more than 60,000 marijuana plants were put into quarantine when Denver growers were suspected of using toxic pesticides. Six commercial growers were affected by the quarantine. While officials pointed out that the plants only accounted for a small percentage of the city’s crop, it highlighted real concerns that have not been addressed. One of the main pesticides in question in the quarantine was Eagle 20, which is toxic if the marijuana is smoked or burned.
In 2014, tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of marijuana edibles were recalled and destroyed after safety inspections found problems. While the marijuana edibles weren’t linked to any confirmed cases of illnesses, the investigation found the products—which required refrigeration—were left sitting in the open and the manufacturers failed to sanitize the environment to kill illness-causing bacteria.
Not all marijuana growers use pesticides on their crop, although Denver only restricts some pesticides for the growers who do. Most marijuana plants are not tested for contaminants and the city has only recently started limited testing. Being a “legal grower” makes collecting as much usable crop as possible more profitable, but the state still has a responsibility to consumers.
Colorado recently published a guide on the use of pesticides on marijuana that listed possible chemicals, their safety concerns, and active ingredients. The guide will be updated as the state learns new information about pesticide use on marijuana crop. The only way to safely apply chemicals to marijuana crop is to know exactly how that particular plant will be used. Using the common Eagle 20 EW fungicide, for example, is safer if the crop will be consumed but is toxic if it’s burned.
There are no known pesticides that can be safely used on marijuana for all uses and neither the government nor marijuana growers are sure exactly what to use. Consumers who use marijuana have no way of knowing which chemicals have been applied and what they may be introducing into their body. A single mature marijuana plant can be worth over $4,000 and it’s no surprise that some growers will be willing to take shortcuts and use potentially unsafe chemicals not approved for human consumption to improve their harvest and ultimately their payday.
