The Washington State Department of Agriculture has updated their list of pesticides allowed for cannabis production. Two products — AzaMax and Evergreen Pyrethrum Concentrate — were removed based on advice from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, who said the products contained ingredients not listed on their labels.
24 pesticides were removed from the list because their labels did not meet WSDA regulations or because product registrations for distribution were voluntarily withdrawn. Growers can finish using their supply of the 24 removed pesticides but are not allowed to buy more.
43 options were added to the list of allowed pesticides. For the first time, products with the active ingredients Acetic acid, D-Limonene, Isaria fumosorosea strain FE 9901 and Linseed oil can be found on the list, but most additions contain active ingredients already being used across the state.
Pesticides continue to be a topic at the forefront of discussions in the cannabis industry. Just this week, Ziggy Marley penned an article in Rolling Stone that calls on consumers to hold growers accountable and suggests that cannabis cultivation should be entirely pesticide free.
“As marijuana becomes industrialized, we need to stay vigilant about the way companies use harmful pesticides to maximize and safeguard their financial investments,” wrote Marley. “We have seen this story before: as industries get larger and larger, and profits grow and grow, the welfare of consumers becomes secondary to the profits of those industries. If this were to happen to cannabis, it would defeat the spirit of the plant itself.”
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