Cannabis Business Alliance calls for sensible regulations
As pesticide legislation works its way through the Colorado General Assembly, the Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA) is calling for sensible regulation of pesticides.
The Schedule I federal status of marijuana has presented challenges to the Colorado industry: pesticides do not contain labeling for cannabis use, and research is non-existent for the use of pesticides on cannabis. As of now, pesticides cannot be registered with the EPA to be labeled and approved for use on cannabis.
Applying many pesticides off-label may not be dangerous, but the ambiguity puts the industry in an uncertain position as a whole. The same pesticides barred for use by the cannabis industry are, in fact, used every day on strawberries and tomatoes that consumers purchase at major natural grocery chains.
“The cannabis industry wants to comply and work with the government to provide proper regulations for businesses across the state,” said Mark Slaugh, CBA Board Member and iComply CEO. “However, the industry needs more labs certified for pesticide testing, as well as clear and consistent guidelines for businesses.
"Guidelines rooted in evidence-based in science," Slaugh said. "Some facilities may choose to go pesticide free, but there are many options to mitigate pests.
"Not all pesticides are harmful if used properly," Slaugh said. "The current issue is that the industry hasn’t been able to identify pesticides that are labeled for use on cannabis, because of the crop’s federal status.”