If you’ve been following Trail Blazin’ at all, you know that we’ve been on a crusade to require pesticide testing for cannabis products for almost a decade. So let’s talk about how these new testing regulations are going to affect us.
The short version is that Washington State has had great rules since 2013 regarding pesticide usage on cannabis; however, they had practically ZERO enforcement of said rules. Companies could simply promise they weren’t using illegal pesticides. Well, all data since 2015, concludes that 30-40% of the legal market has illegal amounts of pesticides. 30-40%!
No surprise here, some companies put profits over people. #Shocking
But things are changing. Here are some important dates to note:
- April 2, 2022 - all cannabis products going to labs are required to be pesticide tested
- October 1, 2022 - all cannabis products that farms sell to retailers need to be pesticide tested
- January 1, 2023 - all cannabis products sold from retailers to consumers and patients need to be pesticide tested
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME?
If you consume Trail Blazin' products, these changes won't affect you. #MicDrop However, if you purchase other products, here is what you may experience:
First, you may see ridiculously low prices on products, especially concentrates, up until 12/31/2022. These are likely businesses trying to move products that don't pass pesticide testing.
Please note, that if you are a retailer, it is your responsibility to move untested products before 01/01/2023. The farm has no requirement to buy it back or exchange it, and the Liquor and Cannabis Board has specifically stated here that they will not get involved in these circumstances.
Then, concentrates are less likely to pass pesticide testing than flower. You can have flower that passes the pesticide action levels, but once you concentrate it (and the pesticides in it) it may no longer be within the legal limit. Do you really want to combust a concentrate, changing the chemical makeup of a pesticide that we don’t know is safe for human consumption, and then inhale it into your lungs? We sure don't! (But to each their own.)
THERE'S MORE WORK TO BE DONE
In complete honesty, there are still giant holes in the system. For instance, farms pick their own samples and send them in themselves. What’s to keep a farm from buying a product that they know is clean and then sending that in as their own? Nothing, that’s what.
There are two new pesticides added to the list of required pesticides to test for. These two pesticides require a VERY expensive machine. And as of the writing of this, only two of the six labs approved to do pesticide testing have said piece of equipment.
They happen to be the two labs that Trail Blazin’ uses exclusively.
WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW?
The best thing you can do is to ask to see the Certificate of Analysis (COA). These are the certificates that state which lab tested for what, and should theoretically help you understand what you are purchasing.
If supporting companies that make sure they are within the allowed pesticide usage is important to you, don’t purchase anything whose COA is from before 04/02/2022 unless it includes pesticides on it.
Purchase products with the DOH Logo. Products that have the DOH Compliant logo, have been tested to the Department of Health's standards, which includes pesticides, regardless of when the COA is dated.
Know your farm. If you’re a lover of Trail Blazin’, you probably know that we are a socially responsible company that always considers a balance between the environment, our community, our employees, as well as our profits. Support small craft farms that put their values first and foremost and can stand behind those decisions.
The year ahead will come with growing pains, but the results are targeted to support consumer wellness over profit—and we think that's pretty cool!