An investigation into the safety of cannabis products for sale on the shelves of licensed California pot dispensaries has revealed unsafe levels of pesticides that exceed state limits for marijuana or federal standards for tobacco products. The investigation, which was carried out by the Los Angeles Times in collaboration with cannabis news outlet WeedWeek, found that vapes and pre-rolled joints from some of California’s most popular legal weed brands were contaminated with chemicals that could cause illness or injury.
Most of the pesticides found during the investigation were present in low concentrations that risk long-term harm with repeated use of the contaminated products. However, some products tested had levels of pesticides that can potentially cause harm with a single use, particularly among susceptible individuals. Some individual products contained as many as two dozen pesticides, the investigation revealed.
“Twenty-five of 42 legal cannabis products that The Times and WeedWeek purchased from retail stores and had tested at private labs showed concentrations of pesticides either above levels the state allows or at levels that exceed federal standards for tobacco,” the Los Angeles Times wrote in its report on the investigation. “The contaminants include chemicals tied to cancer, liver failure, thyroid disease and genetic and neurologic harm to users and unborn children.”
The investigation determined that vapes from five popular cannabis brands contained pesticide levels that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard for the risk of harm from a single exposure. Using such products could irritate the lungs, throat or eyes and cause other unwanted effects such as headaches, rashes, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
The investigation’s findings are consistent with complaints filed by two independent cannabis testing laboratories over the last eight months to report contaminated products reported by other labs to be safe. According to the two labs, as …
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Author: A.J. Herrington / High Times
