food safety
How High? Pesticide Levels and Other Food Safety Concerns Rising as Cannabis Use Increases
by Robyn Randolph, specialist, Food Laboratory Accreditation
The national attitude towards cannabis use has shifted in recent years, with more states legalizing marijuana for both recreational and medical use. Over the past two decades, twenty-six states have approved the use of medical marijuana. Since 2012, eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational, adult-use of marijuana, with the number likely to grow in the coming years. 1 Many cannabis users are aware of the health hazards associated with smoking marijuana, which are similar to those caused by smoking cigarettes, but are unfamiliar with other potential public health concerns.
Pesticides and Potency
The use of illegal pesticides in cannabis farming has resulted in recalls for both medical and recreational cannabis. In 2015, CNN launched an investigation into a Colorado dispensary and found that an illegal pesticide was found in high concentrations in a marijuana product, resulting in a product recall. 2 Between March and April 2015, the Denver Department of Environmental Health quarantined marijuana plants from 10 businesses due to concerns over harmful and unhealthy pesticide usage. Several lawsuits have also been filed by consumers who were unaware they were inhaling and ingesting harmful substances. 3
Pesticides are not the only public health concern related to cannabis use. The potency, or the amount of the active ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol( THC) present, must also be verified; those that use highly potent cannabis can suffer adverse reactions, such as extreme anxiety. Medical edibles( medibles) are also a cause for concern. Medibles are food products, such as cookies, brownies or candy, which are baked with marijuana plant oils that contain THC. These are also foods popular with children, and there have been several instances of kids becoming violently ill after mistakenly eating a cannabis-laced food product. Microbial contamination becomes an issue, with pathogens such as Salmonella or E. coli possibly lurking within the food. Other impurities, such as insects or molds, could also be present in edibles.
CDA, along with other APHL member laboratories such as the Hawaii Department of Health and Oregon State Public Health Laboratories, are responsible for credentialing those private laboratories to perform cannabis testing. Some state departments of public health are tasked with developing programs that will ensure cannabis safety, often with very little federal guidance. For example, Oregon accredits laboratories through the Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program( ORELAP) based on TNI( The NELAC Institute) standards. As of October 2016, accreditation by ORELAP became a requirement for testing medicinal and recreational marijuana sold at medical dispensaries or retail stores; about twenty private laboratories have been accredited with varying scopes of testing.
Despite states’ relaxed view of cannabis usage, the US Drug Enforcement Administration( DEA) continues to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug. This prevents the federal government from providing cannabis testing guidance for state and local public health laboratories. These PHLs are tasked with creating their own cannabis testing programs, assessing the sources and hazards associated with cannabis production and consumption, and establishing action levels for each hazard based on its potential health effects.
While many tout its medical benefits, cannabis presents unique challenges to public health laboratories. If your laboratory would like more information regarding cannabis testing, please contact Jennifer Liebreich at Jennifer. liebreich @ aphl. org.
Inconsistent Procedures
Because there are no minimum federal testing and / or certification guidelines, each state handles testing differently. For example, the Colorado Department of Agriculture( CDA) tests industrial hemp for potency and cannabis for pesticides only. Other laboratories are not directly involved with cannabis testing; manufacturers send their samples to private, third-party laboratories for testing.
References: 1. Williams, S.( 2017, March 19). Here ' s the scoop on a recently introduced Marijuana bill thatwould protect states ' rights- Nasdaq. com. Retrieved from http:// www. nasdaq. com / article / heres-the-scoop-on-a-recently-introduced-marijuana-bill-thatwould-protect-states-rights-cm762636
2. Weisfeldt, S.( 2015, November 25). Who ' s minding the pot?- CNN. com. Retrieved from http:// www. cnn. com / 2015 / 11 / 25 / us / colorado-marijuana-pesticides-testing / index. html
3. Migoya, D., & Baca, R.( 2016, October 5). Colorado’ s largest pot grower sued by two consumers over pesticide use – The Denver Post. Retrieved from http:// www. denverpost. com / 2015 / 10 / 05 / colorados-largest-pot-grower-sued-by-two-consumersover-pesticide-use /
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