The first concern of any cannabis grower should be to cultivate safe recreational or medical cannabis. Sadly, this is not the case. There have been multiple issues with medical and recreational cannabis since the beginning of legalization. Microbial outbreaks are an all too often occurrence in the legal cannabis industry. Imagine what the unregulated black market is like.
These days, people often get ahold of tainted cannabis. When I say tainted, I’m talking about microbial contaminations that could pose a risk to public health. There are many different additives growers use to help manage, control and maintain their crops. Some use way more than they are supposed to. Others use things that perhaps they shouldn’t.
With medical and recreational cannabis being legal in so many places in the United States, one might ask, how do we know that it’s safe? What assurance do consumers have that when they walk into a legal retail cannabis store? Are the cannabis products they purchase actually safe for consumption? That assurance comes from certified lab tests.
Issues Abundant – Recalls for Mold and More in Medical Cannabis
Once again, it is sad, but these lab tests are not always accurate. Recently in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Marijuana Management Authority (OMMA) recalled 99 cannabis products that were contaminated with mold, mildew, and more. THC-O acetate has also previously been found in medical cannabis concentrate products in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is not alone with this problem, as this happens in many other states too.
It’s not about what they add to it. Sometimes it’s about what they put on it or don’t do to it. Some growers incorporate neem oil to help control pests or in an attempt to eradicate an infestation of pests. Neem oil can cause respiratory issues, nausea, headache, and more when smoked. If a grower has been blasting neem oil all over your plants for weeks or months on end, they are going to be saturated in the stuff.
Mold, mildew and other forms of contamination can and do plague cannabis grows. Root rot, bud rot, mites, and more love cannabis. If conditions and environments are not monitored closely, a microbial outbreak is almost certain to happen.
What Can be Done to Ensure Safe Retail and Medical Cannabis
Using the proper ventilation system combined with a good IPM (Implemented Pest Management) system is the best way to combat cultivation concerns such as pests, mildew, and mold. Sometimes lab reports are not always accurate. A lab by the name of Scale Laboratories in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was recently alleged to have falsified lab reports. This wouldn’t be the first case of labs falsifying reports for profit. Some have been found guilty of bumping up THC levels, while others clear batches of cannabis for contaminants when they should have just been burned.
METRC is a great monitoring and tracking system to help identify the source of problems. Rather than finding out days or weeks after an issue occurs, consumers, business owners, and regulators can find out in real-time. If problems happen, swift actions can be taken to protect the public and prevent them from happening again.
A good grower knows what to look for with their plants. They can tell the signs of stress, pests, and other issues. This is why it is very important to have someone who is qualified in cannabis cultivation leading any type of commercial cannabis cultivation operation. But that’s not happening. People are taking a few courses at some cannabis colleges and call themselves Master Growers. Some people have grown a few plants here or there or helped manage some grows and now believe they are qualified for the job. This shows in the abundance of low-quality cannabis that floods the legal industry.
In an effort to help those that have no clue about what they’re doing do it better and to help those who know what they’re doing do it more efficiently, a new environmental monitoring testing suite is available. Being able to identify the source of the problem is very important. This allows consumers to be protected.
Identifying the source of the problem before it begins or as it begins could help prevent the problem from ever becoming a problem in the first place. A new form of environmental monitoring aims to do just that for growers. By monitoring the growing environment’s potential sources of contamination, growers can help prevent issues from occurring.
Microbial outbreaks are very common in cannabis cultivation. Some growers know how to identify these problems before they get out of hand, some know how to prevent them from occurring altogether, and some let it go to the point plants should be cut down. When people let these plants go and harvest them is when it becomes a problem.
A Scary Review Validating the Severity of this Issue with Retail and Medical Cannabis
Not only is cannabis like this harvested, but it is cured and all too often makes its way to store shelves. The University of California Davis Medical Center, in collaboration with Steep Hill Labs, randomly tested 20 samples from the Steep Hill facility in Berkeley, California. Out of these 20 random samples, ALL of them tested positive for microbial contamination. These samples had a variety of fungi and bacteria such as:
· Aspergillus
· Mucor
· Enterobacteria
· Penicillium
· Fusarium
· Acinetobacter and more
Medical and even recreational cannabis doesn’t have to be like this. This is one of the most taxed industries in America. The biggest roadblock is most likely the US Federal government’s current stand supporting continued marijuana prohibition. If the federal government would end this mundane outdated point of view, it could prolifically change society. More rigorous testing of cannabis could be implored. Insurance could begin to cover medical cannabis expenses. In the meanwhile, the cannabis grow operations that want to be on the cutting edge of the legal cannabis industry can take measures to prepare for the future by providing higher quality cannabis by preventing microbial outbreaks.
Better Standards are Needed for Retail and Medical Cannabis
In order for cannabis grow operations to prevent microbial outbreaks, a combination of HEPA filters, ventilation/humidity control, clean growing environments, and workers wearing appropriate clothing and covering is necessary. Medical cannabis should be produced in the same manner as other medicine if we are calling it medical. This means implementing GGP (Good Growing Practices), GxP (Good x Practice), and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) protocols that are utilized in the production of pharmaceuticals.
Current lab tests check for THC levels and other cannabinoid levels. They also look for contaminants and banNED or unallowed chemicals or additives. These tests, in reality, are very narrow for what they are. DNA microbiome sequencing is an example of a much more sophisticated scientific method to ensure medical cannabis operations comply with pharmaceutical-grade standards. When a medical cannabis operation takes its work this seriously, you will see a different quality of medical cannabis and one that should become the staple for industry standards.
Do you love cannabis? Do you love quality cannabis? Do you wish your insurance provider covered your medical cannabis expenses? If so, there are some things you can do. Let your local elected representatives know you support ending federal marijuana prohibition. Also, let them know you support medical cannabis and believe it should adhere to the same GMP protocols that the pharmaceutical industry is governed by. Voice your concern about how you believe medical cannabis should be covered by insurance providers, as well as your support for the legalization of retail and medical cannabis.
Disclaimer: The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained in this article is for informational purposes only. No material from this article is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
