Where are the bad guys? An investigation into the cannabis-related problems in the U.S. based on the 60’s and 70’s

The number of Americans who use marijuana has doubled over the past decade, according to a survey by Gallup. In many parts of the U.S., weed is legal under state law — and many Americans now use it as casually as they might have a beer or glass of wine.

Pesticides, mold, bacterium, solvent residues and heavy metals like arsenic can find their way into cannabis products from the soil, so state regulators are looking to keep them out.

But for consumers who do choose to partake, there’s another layer of concern: Traces of other harmful substances like pesticides, molds and heavy metals might be lurking in a tasty-looking edible or nicely packaged vape. State regulators are trying to address the issue but there are some things they need to do to get over the hump.

All of those things have the potential to cause harm either in the short term — with an ER visit for vomiting, for example, which microorganisms could trigger — or in the long term, increasing your risk for certain cancers or neurological problems.

But regulation is tricky because on the federal level, cannabis is still illegal. There are not all states that have legalized cannabis.

There are over 600 contaminants that are regulated across some 30 states that legalized cannabis at that time. In each jurisdiction, there are only a few dozen contaminants that are regulated.

Underground producers and distributors have a lot of room to grow because of the restrictions. NPR found that those products are often grown and processed in unsafe conditions and with banned pesticides. And they typically don’t have trustworthy potency guidelines.

The market lacks transparency and accountability. “If I was buying cannabis, alcohol, or broccoli in an unregulated market, I would be concerned.” says Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

“When you move from prohibition to legalization, it takes time to significantly reduce the size of the illegal market,” said Beau Kilmer at the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.

“There was a black market for years for moonshine” after Prohibition ended, said Daniel Okrent, a historian whose book Last Call is a history of alcohol bans in the U.S. State wide prohibition laws in some states were in effect from the 50’s to the 1960’s. They existed despite being ignored.

Legal cannabis producers say they think over time, the safer, regulated marijuana brands will win out. That’ll make it easier for consumers to know which products to grab off the shelf.

Recalls have grabbed headlines across the country last year. More than 132,000 marijuana products were recalled in Missouri due to non compliant lab testing and tracking. In California, Mike Tyson’s branded cannabis flower products were recalled due to molds. And Maine issued its first recalls last year due to yeast and mold in pre-rolled joints and other products sold at two dozen stores.

The increase in recalls at the California Department of Cannabis Control is a sign that the system is working and makes Zarha happy.

“I think it’s indicative of the fact that the department is putting out all the stops to make sure that the tools and resources that we have are being used to keep consumers safe,” she says.

The general public mostly assumes that it’s in a state-regulated store. It has to be pure and regulated in the same way as any other product I buy. “

Mitchell said that if you buy cheap suspect weed, you aren’t going to keel over. “If you have a lung problem 10 years from now, you might have to stop smoking weed.”

There’s a dispensary he can walk to, but he gets in his car to drive to a place that has marijuana he can trust. That’s a luxury that can only be achieved by someone with deep knowledge of the industry.

Marijuana Enforcement Division Investigations of the Ripple Cooperative Cannabis Grower’s Product. A Brief Account of State and Local Enforcement

“People assume it’s safe because of guardrails that are in place by state enforcement,” said Mitchell. “But when you actually look at the end result, I think that’s up for debate definitely.”

Over the years, singer has become more concerned about Colorado’s lack of enforcement of the industry and what that means for the safety of the marijuana supply.

A breaking point came when Singer released a much cheaper product to the market, and increased sales by 500%, a spike he expected would certainly trigger an inspection from the state Marijuana Enforcement Division.

“The kind of guy who wants an open and fair playing field,” Singer said. If one team was allowed to cheat while the other team was not then professional sports would not be fun. It would be very boring to watch.

So he had people buy 15 different marijuana products from dispensary shelves and tested them at a lab. He told NPR the testing data showed that four products wouldn’t pass state limits for yeast and mold, one more than six times the limit.

Colorado weed is comparable to New York street weed in 2008. “I think the cartels cared about their consumers more than a lot of people here,” said Singer. “I’ve got the data to back it.”

Federal safety agencies, like the FDA, do not regulate marijuana grow operations because it is still illegal under federal law. If they did, there would likely be rules about how the marijuana is grown — good manufacturing practices. The formula says that clean facility, clean air and water equals clean product. That’s what’s required for things like salad greens. Right now, none of that is required in marijuana, in any state, not just Colorado.

If we require that dog food follow this, but we don’t require that for cannabis … to follow these kind of basic food safety guidelines, then I don’t know what the industry is doing.

The director of the Marijuana Enforcement Division, Dominique Mendiola, would not comment directly on data from Ripple cofounder Justin Singer, nor on whether the supply of marijuana is safe, but said there is a robust process in place for ensuring marijuana is free of contaminants.

The MED has issued 97 health and safety notices since 2016. But the advisories at times include marijuana products that were sold and likely consumed months, or even years, before. It could be that the product was contaminated at some point, either after it left the grow or in storage.

“We do see ongoing need to continue to work on that,” said Mendiola. “And ensure that we are reaching consumers effectively, that we are providing information that they ultimately need to determine: do they have certain products that we’ve identified as a potential threat to health and safety?”

She said that they made the health and safety notice page online easier to navigate and will soon be distributing flyers to educate consumers about safety issues.

Source: Even where weed is legal, product safety isn’t guaranteed

Cannabis Safety and Labeling: The Colorado Cannabis Landscape and Its Implications for the Farming and Consumption of Marijuana

The marijuana industry has suffered, prices for cannabis have crashed since a huge influx of investment during the P5N1 scare when sales were high. The closing of businesses limits licensing revenue that supports MED enforcement. She noted that they are downsizing their offices in Lakewood to reduce costs.

“We’ve been, for a few years now, looking at those opportunities to save costs, cut expenses, in a way that still allows us and ensures that we’re able to carry out our regulatory obligations,” said Mendiola.

“I think at this point in Colorado you’re dealing with the safest weed you can have in the United States,” said Ethan Shaw, co-founder of The Flower Collective. “At the end of the day there’s a lot of things Colorado’s learned that other states haven’t learned yet, and one of those, the big one’s, heavy metals.”

Shaw also noted that the rate of recalls in Colorado has slowed, after a major increase in 2023. He said that the financial struggles of the industry in Colorado means fewer producers.

“It’s hard to make judgements on if it’s right or wrong when there’s like zero data to really go into the health impacts,” said Tess Eidem, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder’s lab for aerobiology and disinfection.

The Food and Drug Administration has endorsed irradiation as safe for food products, citing 30 years of research, but labeling is required when used. That’s not the case with Colorado cannabis, where the industry successfully fought a labeling law last year.

It is necessary that products pass a final test. The process can be onerous, though, on growers, who are already suffering a prolonged downturn in sales prices. Stores are closing.

Marijuana contaminants and lab testing are areas in which Opie expertise is in. He said the money sunk into a harvest means there’s tremendous pressure to get it to market.

Opie said that it would be a great idea for states to conduct shelf checks to make sure that the product they sell actually makes it to consumers.