A recent LA Times investigation reveals that toxic elements have infiltrated the regulated cannabis market. They expose how it gets into the products, and ultimately, the consumer. Cultivators, brands, labs, dispensary owners, and end users are all panicked over what this could mean for themselves.
Testing conducted by Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs, Anresco Laboratories, and SC Labs on major California cannabis brands revealed insane levels of pesticides in their products. 25 of the samples tested were found to have pesticide concentrations exceeding federal and state limits. Some products tested had more than 2 dozen pesticides present. The LA Times published the list of products they purchased and what they tested positive for (here’s where you can see it).
California lacks standardized practices when it comes to testing cannabis products. Each lab has its own independent SOPs which can cause variance among other things. You can send a sample from the same batch to a handful of labs and get wildly different results (we know because we’ve done it just to see). The state and regulatory bodies say that they are doing everything in their power to make sure no dirty products make it to market and say they’ve stepped up enforcement.
Many labs claim they are being unfairly targeted, suggesting a conspiracy against them due to their success. Asserting that the samples were purposely contaminated so that they would fail. They have even more to deal with now that Anresco and Infinite Chemical Analysis have filed a lawsuit against 13 of the largest labs in California. This lawsuit states that these labs actively attract brands who are shopping around for a lab who will inflate their THC percentages. One lab had THC percentages that were inflated 50%. We have always kept a commitment to provide a safe and clean product. We work with labs that we feel provide honest results. We’re never concerned about THC% when we test so we’ve never looked for a lab that would inflate our numbers. In fact, we’ve stopped working with labs after they hinted that they could provide that. One lab outright offered to inflate our numbers if we paid more for a test. If they’re willing to do this, what other things could they be purposely overlooking.
Brands assert they were unaware of the pesticide contamination, stating they trusted their cultivators and labs to ensure their products were clean. They say they’ve followed all the states guidelines and have no knowledge of the chemicals being used at any cultivation their cannabis is sourced from.
There are some cultivators being exposed for using the illegal chemicals that are appearing on the list. Some cultivators have gone so far as to import chemicals from China that have been banned in the US for years. All our cultivators that we work with have stellar track records of providing clean products. We vet all of them by personally inspecting their facilities before any harvest that we do.
Dispensaries face a dilemma, as they receive Certificates of Analysis (COAs) from brands claiming their products are safe, despite evidence to the contrary. They rely on labs and brands to provide accurate testing information for all the products they purchase. There are people who have medical conditions like cancer that shop at dispensaries looking for clean products because they trust what they are being given is safe to put into their bodies.
End users fear what can be in their products now, many moving away from the brands listed in the investigation. With so much effort put towards pushing people from the traditional market to the regulated market because of safety, this investigation sheds light on some of its flaws.
With no end in sight, this battle is going to continue until the bad actors can be weeded out from the honest cannabis operators. Hopefully, with this investigation now published it will raise awareness of what some people are trying to get away with in the industry.
Stay safe and stay stoned!
