Is There Pesticide in the Weed You're Smoking?

Is There Pesticide in the Weed You're Smoking?

***This can apply to any cannabis that can also be vaporized.

http://www.alternet.org/there-pesti...1086383.6Lyj6w&rd=1&src=newsletter792106&t=17

Dangerous toxins may be hiding in your joint.



A young woman lights a marijuana joint in May 2012.

February 8, 2013

While filming the upcoming documentary Toxic Profits over the last six months, I have been speaking with people about extremely hazardous pesticides that are used in agriculture across the world. These discussions about pesticide use on food for animal and human consumption prompted my discovery of a very under-reported and interesting phenomenon: the use of large amounts of unregulated pesticides to grow cannabis.

Dan Tomaski, who runs northern Michigan's most comprehensive medical marijuana testing lab service, found that some marijuana contains mold and pesticides at levels more than 60 times those allowed for store-bought spinach. Yet, unlike pesticides on produce, there are zero regulations for pesticides on marijuana, and no single pesticide has ever been approved for use on marijuana.

Despite the lack of regulation, some marijuana growers continue to maximize profit by heavily spraying their marijuana to grow as much pot as quickly as they can — so much so that Agent Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Game estimated that 1.5 pounds of fertilizers and pesticides are used for every 11.5 plants. His message to weed smokers is: “You ain’t just smoking pot, bud. You’re smoking some heavy-duty pesticides.”

What is even more disturbing is that many of these “heavy-duty pesticides” being used on marijuana are actually only approved for non-human consumption and intended for use on lawns, golf courses, and sports fields, for example. In an interview for this article, Chris Van Hook, a former farmer and California medical marijuana attorney, stated that “initial pesticide screening results of medical cannabis out in the marketplace show a widespread use of insecticides and pesticides that are not registered for edible crops, much less medical cannabis.” Van Hook also noted that expansions of these studies, as well as the development of safe pesticides for use on cannabis, are hindered by the continued federal illegality of marijuana use, growth, and possession.

Part of the problem is that since marijuana is illegal under federal law, the United States Department of Agriculture does not allow for it to be certified organic under the guidelines used for produce. Yet, there are people like Chris Van Hook who are fighting back and demanding access to safe marijuana. Van Hook is also a USDA organic food inspector and has used the USDA’s organic model to start his own marijuana certification organization called “Clean Green Certified.” Though not legally certified “organic,” a Clean Green Certified stamp of approval on your medical marijuana in California ensures that it was grown under the same conditions as organic produce. Clean Green Certified takes a soil sample from each certification applicant annually and uses a federally-licensed lab for testing (not an unregulated, profit-hungry “ pot lab”).

While it is possible to at the least wash off non-organic fruits and vegetables to remove some pesticide residue before consumption, there is no way to wash the pesticides off a cannabis flower or bud. As a result, when marijuana is inhaled or ingested for the effects of its natural chemical compound, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), additional unknown chemical residues enter one’s system as well. Since many of the pesticides being used to grow marijuana are not even approved for general edible crop use, the dangers to one’s body and health can only be imagined. Recent state-based efforts across the country to legalize both medical and recreational cannabis could lead to a greater awareness of and demand for clean, pesticide-free marijuana, but until then, you may be left wondering, “what’s on the pot I’m smoking?”

Thanks for the great articles Vicki.
While referencing MI and MMJ, they miss our bigest problem...
Our supreme court just ruled that dispensaries are illegal.

So now all the 80 year old medical users get to go to downtown Detroit for black market medication with no safety testing, quality control or clue about what type of medication they are purchasing...not to mention the risks of such a pursuit. But for many the risks will outweigh the pain and suffering they endure on a daily basis.
There are new bills to approve a dispensary model in the works but identical bills failed last legislative session.

What a world, what a world...

Yeah, I think that weed purity is a major concern for many medical and recreational users. I'm a patient in Cali and I can confirm that most MMJ dispensaries don't have their weed lab tested. Well, some test for potency only ...thc, cbd, etc. Only a few test their meds for both potency and purity( mold, pesticides...). For piece of mind, I only purchase weed from dispensaries that test all products for both potency and purity. That takes the guess work out of the game, as you know exactly what you're getting. I understand extensive lab testing can be costly, so I don't mind paying a little more for tested product. After all, I don't want to do business with a collective that doesn't have their patients health and saftey as a priority. My 2 cents........

How much more per gram do you end up paying?

I usually buy eighths rather than grams. That said, I typically pay $55 to $60 an eighth for top shelf fully lab tested meds. For high quality non tested meds you're looking at about $50 to $55 per eighth. So I guess on average I pay probably $3 to $6 more per eighth. I think that's fair, being that the dispenserary has to deliver the product to the independent lab, pay for the testing and wait a few days for printed lab results and then post the comprehensive lab results on their website.That is all done before the strain is placed on their menu available for patients....

The true meaning of the word.............buzzkill !!

Wow, that is a bit pricey. I don't think I could afford that.

You're totally right Vicki. It is certainly expensive. Although here in San Diego everything is more expensive than a lot of places...... Housing, clothes, food, high taxes you name it..

Oh, I know it. My husband lived in San Diego for a short time, while he was in the Navy.

I'm blessed that I get really good stuff at a price I can afford.

But............San Diego is REALLY nice. Great weather............some of the best anywhere. And even though it's a pretty big city, it still maintains that small town mentality. I like it.

Arcadia is also a great place to live! Although, if I lived there, I might spend too much time at the Santa Anita Racetrack which would result in much less funds for weed LOL... C

I live one mile from the track but I've only been there twice.

Same:
$20/gram
$60/eighth
$400/oz
$20 1g "general" Bubble Hash
$60 1g "general" Wax

But like Chill Dude said vvv

Also the dispensary takes on most of the risks in these situations, not the grower or patient. So you're paying for piece-of-mind, ease of access/availability, data about the strain, quality control and so much more. With actual quantitative data, you can more accurately predict the effects of a strain. I've been burned more than once in my life on qualitative data (i.e., "That looks amazing!") but didn't get the effects I was looking for (i.e., it was a heart-racing low-CBD haze instead of a sleepy high-CBD kush for bedtime...and then I don't sleep). Depending on ones lifestyle, availability may be the key factor for using a dispensary. And as reliability increases, so does availability.

I think this is even more important when you are dealing with concentrates. With any extraction or even edible, there is much less subjective data so you need that lab-tested piece-of-mind. And the THC concentration of a concentrate can vary from %20 - %80 (or above with Simpson Oil or other new extraction methods). That's a HUGE range and I want to get my money's worth from my already expensive medication.

For me, the benefits far outweigh the dispensary costs and/or risks of going black-market.

What risks are you speaking of? If you're saying they buy the product before it's tested....they don't. They get their product on credit and pay the grower as it sells....at least in the places I've been exposed to.

To the original topic. It's definitely an issue. I think the guy who wrote the article is overstating it a bit, though. It's definitely there, but with just a bit of education, you can spot the stuff that he's talking about. The stuff that's totally full of fertilizer/mold/pesticides. You will see it, you will smell it. It's not like the stuff is just hidden in a beautiful bud.

I mean...if it looks and smells as nice as something you'd pull out of your own vegetable garden, you're fairly safe. If you stick your nose in the bag and anything seems off, don't bother with it. Majority of the time, you'll be right...even though your struggling trying to decide, your body has made it's decision, which is why it smells funny. I mean...you wouldn't buy a brown tomato, would you? Or some milk that smells bad?

Just as good as dispensaries can be, they can be bad, too. It's always going to come down to you. I've heard stories of some very bad stuff coming out of them. Green unpurged oil, or joints of leaves. Educate yourself on how to spot the good stuff, and it won't matter where you buy.

There are no standards largely because of the persistence of legal prohibitions. I have occasionally gotten stuff from otherwise good dispensaries where there was a fertilizer / chemical taste. Used to be crazy government with paraquat, now it's greedy growers cutting corners. I often notice that dispensary bud does not have much smell. Possibly they are rolling it around on screens and getting the kief off the outside or maybe drying it quickly at high temps like 90 degrees, causing all those lovely terpines and flavonoids to evaporate, alas...

Legal, not health. Sorry I didnt make that more clear.

Some bacteria reek. But many are odorless to humans. Some bacteria can't be seen. Just because the culture hasn't grown and reached a visible state (mold) doesn't means its not contaminated. The "bloody obvious" test we use in research doesnt always work. My 90 year old grandma with cancer can barely see or smell. She relies on the hard data, same as me.

I've felt the same way for years. Not enought to make a huge profit I guess...

Mold is everywhere. Pretty much all bud will have traces of mold. It will only grow and become an issue if the the buds are stored incorrectly or cured with to high of a moisture content. I've come across plenty of moldy buds, and you can actually almost never see visible mold on them. Smell is how you spot a bad mold problem. Instead of smelling like good buds, it picks up a hint of ammonia. If the moisture content is to high, you can also be pretty sure that mold is or will become an issue. You can also hold a bud up to a light, and flick it with your finger. If you see a lot of dust come off the bud and float up, it might have a mold issue. Those are usually the mold spores. Trics and pieces of leaf and stuff won't float in the air, they just fall.

I'm also not sure if smoking bacteria is an issue. I know it is with mold, because the spores are almost indestructible, but I think almost all bacteria would be killed by the heat.

I hope you and your grandmother find a bud-tender or dispensary you can trust.

Hope you could expand a little more on the bolded part.

I have a lot of these nugs that I've been vaping and am currently sick, so that's what got me thinking about mold. I took a nug and flicked it in the light.

Now definitely tons of little tiny things went flying. Would the mold spores have just floated away semi-upward? These little particles definitely started falling down the second gravity hit in. Given these are frosty heavy-trich'd nugs, does that sound not like mold spores?

No, the spores will float away. Trics and pieces of bud fall. Depending on how dry it is, you might see a ton of stuff fly off of it, but the spores float.

How are you sick? You have a cold or did you just start getting congested all of a sudden? Vaping moldy buds will effect your lungs. I've made the mistake before and it eventually gets tough to breathe. Like when you've inhaled any particles your shouldn't have, really. Like if you sand a bunch of drywall without a mask.

Dannkk, I disagree with you that detecting mold, bacteria, pesticides etc... Is as simple as merely flicking a bud. If that were the case, then cannabis testing labs would be out of business, instead they are proliferating in virtually all MMJ states.. The testing process used in labs is complicated and requires a qualified lab technician with expensive state of the art equipment in order to determine with certainty that the bud is in fact free of all contaminants. Now, that being said, if comprehensive lab testing were not available would I still medicate with weed? Of course I would LOL. However, where I live testing is available, and consuming tested herb gives me piece of mind that I am protecting my health as much as possible IMHO...

I didn't exactly say that. What I am saying is that people know what good, clean, safe buds smell and look like. When you look at something new, and something seems wrong, there's something wrong. You can subconsciously detect these small issues. There's no "Well, maybe this is good enough." The reason your questioning it in the first place is because your mind picked up some red flag, but it's not big enough to trigger a real conclusion. I'm basically saying, that if lab testing isn't available in your area, or possibly being done unethically in your area, to trust yourself. Don't let someone else tell you it's good, if you don't think it's good, don't buy it. People know better than they think they do...they just let others convince them otherwise. Also, just because there's a tag saying it's been tested, doesn't mean it has been. We're talking about a largely unregulated industry here. Not saying all or even many dispensaries are doing this unethically, but some definitely are. Need to be careful and educated yourself, also.

Yeah, I hear what your saying. If ethical,accurate lab testing is not available, you have to do your own due diligence and visually inspect the bud under a microscope and make sure the bud doesn't smell of contaminants. Is this type of inspection thorough and conclusive? Of course not, but you may be able to spot a red flag situation. BTW, you have to be leary of any dispensary that says they do their own lab testing, because as you've said, there are certainly some unethical operators out there. You basically have to find a dispensary that you trust and gets their product from ethical experienced growers. FYI, my dispensary uses a highly respected third party labs and post the detailed lab results online signed by the lab technician. Man I love weed!!!!!

Terrible.. It is about outdoor weed mainly, I hope.

That's why we should be all able to control how our medication is produced. The only way here is DIY.. No labs

This

and this

make a perfect pair.

Most dispensaries in our area don't pay for the testing but require some quantitative data before they will purchase it from the grower. Of course since I didn't do the HPLC myself, I have to trust the dispensary. I'd definately be worried if I "dispensary hopped" like some, but I usually stick to one that I trust.

Thanks dannkk. Things are up in the air but not over. HB4271 is a bipartisan bill being fast-tracked through so a vote can happen soon. They are pushing for "local control" at the city level.

And considering our discussion, this quote in a recent article about the bill made me smile:
"Callton (R-Nashville) has stated he wants the centers to pass the “grandma test.” Any Center should be safe enough that your grandmother would feel comfortable there, according to Callton. For details on HB 4271′s multiple empowerments and restrictions on patient activity, read Michigan’s Provisioning Centers 2.0."

Thanks for the OP Vicki! Great thread.

I smell a vendor........ lol

It all depends on why you consume. Many floxins can kill an ill person. Wanna get high? Smoke what you want. Want to be well? Well..... The toxic things in cannabis are the ones you can't see. Many weed growing products aren't safe for food crops or contain carcinogens. No regulations, make all the money you can with growth enhancers, it's only stoners, right?

Do you want it legal? If so, you better get used to testing. This 1930's meat butchering industry needs a huge clean up.
Why shouldn't weed be as clean as food???

Chris Van Hook is a friend who runs the "Clean Green Certification" program for growers. He sent me this a few years ago (sorry it's a word .docx, so the formatting is a bit ugly.)


Nuts in Ice Cream

Nuts are usually added at about 10% by weight. Commonly used are walnuts, pecans, filberts, almonds and pistachios. Brazil nuts and cashews have been tried without much success.

Quality Control of Nutmeats for Ice Cream

1. Extraneous and Foreign Material:
Requires extensive cleaning, Color Sorter, Destoner, X-rays, Aerator,Hand-Picking, Screening
2. Microbiological Testing:
Aflatoxin contamination can be a hazard with Peanuts, Pistachios, Brazils. All nutmeats should receive random testing for: Standard Plate Count, Coliform, E. Coli, Yeast and Mold, Salmonella.
3. Bacteria Control:
Nuts must be processed in a clean sanitary premise following good manufacturing practices. Nuts should be either oil roasted or heat treated to reduce any bacteria.
4. Chemical and Organic Contaminants :
All nutmeats require testing for fertilizer, pesticide and fungicide residues. Contaminants can be toxic to infirm and elderly persons.
5. Storage:
Nutmeats should be stored at 34-38° F to maintain freshness and reduce problems with rancidity.
Source: http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca

If you value your weed as much as you value your nuts, support testing.
Cannabis is medicine.