Pesticides

Two California cannabis companies are facing steep fines for breaking state environmental laws including multiple allegations of improper use of pesticides and herbicides, among other charges.

ScottsMiracle-Gro Co. has created a new subsidiary to invest in the legal cannabis industry and announced a $150 million loan to RIV Capital, a cannabis investment and acquisition firm.

The provincial government in British Columbia, Canada is urging cannabis consumers to purchase legal cannabis after tests of unregulated products returned concerning results.

Alaska officials have filed misdemeanor charges against the owners of a licensed cannabis cultivator for allegedly using illegal pesticides.

Cannabis regulators in Oregon issued an immediate recall after an extract product failed pesticide testing. The contaminated cannabis originated from a medical grower whose product was transferred to the adult-use industry.

A recent investigation of rolling paper products found that 90% contained some quantity of heavy metals, with 8 percent testing higher than “the allowable limits” under California’s cannabis rules.

After years of encountering garbage and chemicals at unlicensed cannabis cultivation sites, the United States Forest Service has entered a contract with NES Hazmat as part of its cannabis eradication program.

Washington cannabis regulators have adopted emergency rules banning vitamin E acetate in cannabis vapor products and aim to expand cannabis testing requirements.

The Environmental Protection Agency has approved 10 different pesticides for use on industrial hemp crops — the new approvals include nine biopesticides and one conventional pesticide product.

A recent investigation found that just five percent of cannabis products currently available in Canada contained pesticides.

A panel of mostly Arizona medical cannabis industry operators is set to determine which pesticides should be allowed in the industry; any final decision must be approved by the Department of Health Services.

A California study is offering $20 gift cards to cannabis consumers in exchange for anonymous information about how much cannabis they use, which will help in determining safe pesticide levels for cannabis crops.

In a recent randomized test of Denver cannabis products, about 80 percent of products tested by the city’s Department of Health and Environment failed tests for potential yeast and mold.

Purdue University in Indiana has received a $1 million grant from the USDA for researching organic hemp production.

The National Industrial Hemp Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation are teaming up to lobby the EPA into approving 10 submitted pesticide applications for hemp production.

Massachusetts regulators issued a $50,000 fine to Plymouth-based M3 Ventures for improper pesticide use.

Los Angeles officials have filed their first civil lawsuit against an unlicensed cannabis dispensary, seeking $20,000 per day the shop was allegedly open and selling to customers illegally.

Washington state senators have approved two cannabis reform bills: one allowing public school students to medicate with doctor-prescribed cannabis products and another reforming the state’s cannabis testing lab regulations.