The study found that 92 percent (of the unregulated cannabis) tested positive for pesticides, compared to only six percent of the regulated products.
The study was published last week in the Journal of Cannabis Research. It involved testing 36 samples of marijuana from licensed retailers, and 24 samples of illicit marijuana that were confiscated by law enforcement. Researchers were able to determine if any of the 327 pesticides used in growing or contaminating marijuana products had been used.
In the case of legal cannabis, only six percent was contaminated, and “only two pesticides residues were detected, myclobutanil, and dichlobenil.” This pesticide, however, is not one of the 96 pesticides that are required to be tested under Canadian law.
The samples from the illicit markets were rife with pesticides. The study revealed that 92 percent of samples contained potentially harmful chemicals. It identified “23 unique active ingredients for pesticides with an average of 3.7 pesticides per sample.”
The study’s authors stated that “Chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid were measured at concentrations as high as three orders of magnitude higher” than the lowest calibrated level for the method of 0.01 mg/g. “One illicit sample alone contained nine different pesticide active ingredients.”
Researchers said that despite the 6 percent of samples with low levels of pesticides in them, “the licensed Canadian Cannabis sector has greatly improved.” Before the mandatory testing requirements of 2019, the contamination rate was around 30 percent.
The authors stated that “to the best of their knowledge, this is the only comprehensive pesticide multi-residue study that compares pesticides on the licensed and illicit cannabis market in a country-wide jurisdiction in which cannabis has been legalised.” Our results, despite being a small one, support the Government of Canada’s messaging that consuming illegal products can lead to serious harm and adverse effects. Testing of illegal marijuana has revealed contaminants such as pesticides, unacceptable levels of bacteria and lead, and arsenic.
The findings confirm what cannabis reformers have been saying for years: Regulating the sale of marijuana gives consumers safer products.
The study found that there is a need for a “unified regulatory approach ” and ‘national-level guidelines on the contamination regulations of cannabis.
The federal prohibition makes it difficult to develop a national framework. The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of pesticides on hemp since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized the crop, but declined to do so for marijuana while it is still illegal .
A pair of Republican members of Congress have reintroduced a bill this session to combat the use of banned insecticides in illegal cannabis grows. The bill’s co-sponsor said in March that one effect of the bill would be to protect the health of consumers–especially medical cannabis patients.
Beyond Pesticides, a nonprofit organization in 2019, urged its supporters to write to their representatives in Congress to ask for federal regulation of pesticides in marijuana to protect public health.
A study later found that lung injuries caused by contaminated vapes were less common in states with legal marijuana and homegrow. In a later study, it was found that injury rates were lower in states where marijuana sales are legal and homegrown.
In 2019, the National Science Foundation of the United States awarded a grant of $250,000 to a biotech company that developed technology to eliminate harmful pesticides in a wide range crops, including marijuana.
A GOP congressman explains why he will vote for Ohio’s Marijuana Legalization Initiative in November as the state releases pro and con arguments
Photo by Brian Shamblen.
The post Study: 9 in 10 Illicit Marijuana samples Contain Pesticides, In a ‘Striking Contrast to Regulated Products first appeared on Marijuana Minute.
