Pot Pesticides

With widespread marijuana use on the rise, the regulations on its farming practices remain minimal.

As the legalization of recreational marijuana spreads in many states across the country, the cannabis market has become commercialized and targeted towards a younger audience. In an industry that is massively under-the-table, regulation for marijuana is extremely hard without full legalization. As large-scale cultivation expands, so does the use of pesticides.

The Environmental Health Journal states that 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides are used in the US annually, and in 2017, about 459 million acres of US agricultural land were treated with some kind of fungal, weed-related (not marijuana), or insect-removing pesticide (according to Illinois Public Media). Since almost 75% of non-organic produce sold in grocery stores across America contains pesticide residue, poison meant for crop-eating bugs and pests often end up in our stomachs. Californians for Pesticide Reform explains that a massive ingestion of pesticides could lead to risks such as acute poisoning, cancer, neurological disorders, reproductive harm, and birth defects. People, however, generally consume very small amounts of pesticides (a risk-free amount). But what if the pesticides were ingested in other ways that are more harmful than simply eating them, like through smoking or vaping?

In the day and age of easy-to-consume cannabis vapes (carts and pens) with appealing flavors and an ever-growing market of marijuana users, the cannabis market is booming. Although huge, due to its federal classification as a Schedule I substance, the marijuana market is still massively unregulated. While most crops are monitored for pesticide use by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), only hemp (the industrially used stem of the marijuana plant) is part of that check. So in a massive market, where almost 75% of the buying and selling thrives under the table and where the legality of the plant differs from state to state, very few marijuana companies are sending their products to be tested for pesticides in laboratories.

  (Photograph: The Atlantic) 

It is no lie that marijuana is marketed towards young people through candy flavors, social media, and advertising. The risks of consuming cannabis at a young age are ever prevalent: impaired brain development, lowered IQ, lung cancer, and a higher risk of psychosis. Young users, already vulnerable to early cannabis use effects, face an even higher risk when pesticides are involved. Due to a lack of federal oversight, there is little consistency in how marijuana is tested across states, if it is at all. This is especially dangerous for young adults drawn to vapes and edibles, as they could be consuming harmful chemicals often without notice or research. Products dominated by illicit markets and that pass through safety checks leave young consumers exposed to possibly physically and cognitively harmful substances.

As marijuana begins to become more socially and legally acceptable across the United States, especially among young people, an issue poses itself to public health beyond cannabis use. The marijuana plant may be natural, but many of the chemicals sprayed on cannabis farms are not. Until cannabis can be fully legalized or federally regulated, consumers (especially young ones) remain at risk of consuming pesticides they don’t know are in their weed.