Oregon on Monday issued a list of more than 250 pesticides cannabis growers may be able to use on their crops. The list represents the first clear guidance from Oregon agriculture officials on what chemicals the state's marijuana industry may use to defeat mites, mold, mildew and other common pests and problems. Top state agriculture officials made clear that the list is a "starting spot" for marijuana growers, who still have to follow pesticide labels. Lauren Henderson, assistant director of the agency, said regulators combed through more than 12,000 pesticides registered with the state to see which had labels broad enough to include cannabis. Ultimately, the agency came up with about 250 products. The list will be reviewed quarterly, said Henderson.
Aviv Hadar, an owner of Oregrown, a dispensary in downtown Bend, said growers shouldn't use pesticides at all.
"If you have to use pesticides," he said in a text message to The Oregonian/OregonLive, "you're doing it wrong."
But it's clear many do. Though Oregon mandates pesticide testing for marijuana, a combination of lax state rules, inconsistent lab practices and inaccurate test results has allowed pesticide-laced products to enter the medical marijuana market, an investigation last year by The Oregonian/OregonLive found.
Rodger Voelker, a chemist at OG Analytical, a marijuana testing lab in Eugene, said Oregon's list doesn't include some of the more common pesticides he sees in cannabis that comes through his lab.
He also said growers will have to figure out how to safely apply the chemicals on the state's list. Some are included in state-mandated lab testing. That means growers may be able to apply the chemical to their crop, but the product will have to test below a certain level before it lands on store shelves.
Click HERE to read the full article.