There just isn’t experimental data available.” “You would have to be able to figure out how much cannabis people would consume and how much of that DDT would be deposited in the body. “To my knowledge, nobody has done a really good risk assessment for that,” Simpson said. The chemical is considered a possible carcinogen.Ĭhristopher Simpson, deputy director of the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center at the University of Washington, said the risk from DDE in cannabis is probably low, though possibly more of a concern for anyone using the marijuana medicinally, since they already may have health issues. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies have shown women with high amounts of DDE in their blood were more likely to give birth prematurely or have a baby with a wheeze, according to the U.S. It’s unclear how many states require cannabis to be tested for legacy pesticides such as DDT. There is wide variety about which are regulated and how much of a trace can remain in products. Regulators in Vermont early this year pulled pesticide-contaminated pot from five retail stores after a customer reported feeling sick, and Nevada officials issued an advisory about widely available products possibly tainted with an unapproved pesticide.ĭue to marijuana’s illegal status under federal law, states have written their own rules about pesticides in cannabis. Pesticides in cannabis are a concern for regulators and consumers in legal pot states around the country, especially because the plant is typically smoked or concentrated, a process that can intensify the levels of pesticides in the final product. He normally has about six full time employees and 20 seasonal workers, but now has only two. His income has been about one-tenth of what it was previously. Taylor, 58, said he’s been living off savings since April. “I haven’t sold any product since April,” said Taylor, who operates two licensed cannabis producer-processors, Okanogan Gold and Kibble Junction. The board said it will increase pesticide testing for cannabis from the area. The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board announced last week it had lifted the holds on the businesses, which are now taking steps with state financial support to keep the residual pesticide at bay and rebuild their brands. ![]() The affected growers haven’t used the pesticide themselves, but they are located on a 5-mile (8-kilometer) stretch of former fruit orchards along the Okanogan River where it was applied heavily and remains in the soil. Taylor’s pot farm is one of several getting back to business after state regulators halted their operations in April, citing product testing that turned up unacceptable levels of chemicals related to DDT, a synthetic pesticide banned half a century ago. Large swaths of recently installed landscape fabric cover the ground, and soon the dirt roads on his property will be covered in crushed rock to keep contaminated dust from covering the crops. ![]() ![]() Each hole for a new plant gets filled with the clean soil. SEATTLE (AP) - A big mound of fresh dirt sits at Terry Taylor’s marijuana farm in the high desert of north-central Washington state.
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