Colorado and the state of Washington continue to refine health and safety regulations on medical and recreational marijuana. Washington recently changed its regulatory procedures for medical marijuana to start testing for banned pesticides and herbicides. Colorado quarantined hundreds of thousands of marijuana plants in early 2015 for banned pesticide residues, and recalled several batches of already-released cannabis products.Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides in food and other consumable products are generally regulated by the federal government. Since marijuana remains federally banned, the states that have legalized medicinal and recreational cannabis use must determine what pesticides would be allowed for marijuana and how to enforce those regulations.Colorado and Washington both have a list of approved pesticides that can be used on cannabis crops in the respective states. The lists were determined on the basis that marijuana products can be inhaled by either burning or vaporizing or eaten in pot edibles. There are also infused products that can be used on the skin as lotions or used as eye drops.ìEven though marijuana is not classified as a food crop by the EPA, it is consumed by people, and careful consideration must be made of the potential human health risks of pesticide residues on marijuana,î according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s criteria for pesticides used in the production of marijuana. Any labeling that prohibits use on food crops or requires outdoor use is not allowed to be used on marijuana in Colorado. Marijuana retailers and caregivers are concerned that pesticides that haven’t been tested or considered for use in eye drops, edibles or inhaling could be used in products that people are using as an alternative medicine. ìTesting is great on our end, because it lets us know if growers are using banned pesticides, and the consumer won’t be putting those things in their body with their medicine,î said Michael Lucero, a technical adviser for a marijuana retailer in Washington.Agricultural chemical manufacturers can’t include cannabis as a food crop or specifically state that the chemical can be used on marijuana since it remains a Schedule I drug. Manufacturers also can’t specifically test their products on cannabis crops under current federal regulations. Therefore, it is difficult to predict exactly how pesticides, herbicides and fungicides will break down when burned or cooked for edibles.ìPesticide residues in cannabis that has been dried and is inhaled have a direct pathway into the bloodstream,î said Jay Feldman of Beyond Pesticides (formerly the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Studies on residues in tobacco show that between 1.5 and 15 percent of the insecticides in treated tobacco is transferred to tobacco smoke.Both Washington and Colorado are working on implementing regulations that mandate pre-sale testing of both medical and recreational marijuana rather than relying on recalls. The Denver Department of Public Health recalls of last year resulted in few actual returns from consumers, many of whom had already consumed the tainted pot or weren’t interested in returning it. Less than five percent of the recalled product was returned, according to November 2015 Denver Post research by David Migoya and Ricardo Baca.Medical and recreational marijuana buyers can check on current recalls at the Colorado Department of Revenue Marijuana Enforcement Division at http://colorado.gov/pacific/enforcement.
