Colorado Issues Safety Advisory Over Pesticide Contamination Concerns

By Aaron G. Biros
3 Comments

The two public health and safety advisories issued this morning extend to dried flower, concentrates and infused products.

The Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR), in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issued two public health and safety advisories this morning after they identified pesticide residues on dried cannabis flower, trim, concentrates and infused products, according to the advisory. The contaminated products come from cannabis grown by Rocky Mountain Ways, LLC and Herbal Options, LLC, both doing business as Good Meds.

The Advisory was issued at 10am MT this morning

The advisory cautions consumers to check their labels for the license numbers of the businesses and the harvest batch numbers. They list the license number as, “Medical Optional Premises Cultivation License 403-001116 and/or Medical Marijuana Center License 402-00736.” The harvest batch numbers in question are B11H15.041317-Headband, B11H15.041317-Night Terror OG, and B11H15.041217-Citrix.

The CDA found the presence of off-label pesticides, including Pyrimethanil, Tebuconazole, and Spinosyn, in the products. Pyrimethanil is a fungicide commonly used on seeds, but it is generally regarded as not acutely toxic to humans. Tebuconazole is another fungicide, while the FDA says it is safe for humans, other sources say it could have a moderate acute toxicity in humans. Spinosyn is a class of insecticides with a slight acute toxicity to humans and has been the culprit in a previous cannabis recall in Oregon. In the public health and safety advisory, the CDPHE and DOR say the pesticides were used off-label and none of them are on the approved list of pesticides for cannabis.

The license numbers and batch harvest numbers in question

Comments

  1. A Concerned Patient

    These products have been banned for close to two years*. Why are companies still using them? The complete disregard for the law and the safety of their patients is reprehensible.

    Questions:
    1.) Who approved the application of these banned pesticides?
    2.) What triggered the investigation?
    3.) What actions will be taken to stop them and other companies from doing this in the future?

    It is obvious that the MED and the CDPHE should increase their oversight to keep the industry in line.

    * https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/agplants/pesticide-use-cannabis-production-information

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