The Importance of Pesticide Screening
Pesticides are chemicals used in farming and agriculture to control insects and other organisms that may cause harm to plants. Pesticides can be synthetic chemicals or derived from natural sources. However, in significant amounts, many of them can be harmful to consumer health. As a result, states tightly regulate the amount of pesticides that are acceptable in cannabis products; some states, like New Jersey, ban pesticide use on cannabis altogether.
Because cannabis products can be contaminated at any point during cultivation and manufacturing, and because of how cannabis is typically consumed, pesticide screening has become increasingly important - even in states that maintain bans on pesticides in cannabis cultivation. Pesticide screening is critical to ensure the safety of products before reaching the market.
In this blog, you will learn:
Why pesticides are particularly dangerous for cannabis
Testing procedures for pesticide screening
Examples of harmful pesticides
Why are pesticides a problem in cannabis?
Pesticide in high amounts can be a risk for any number of consumable products, but cannabis in particular is at higher risk for carrying larger and potentially harmful amounts of this substance. There are two major reasons for this: bioaccumulation and how pesticides react to heat.
Bioaccumulation
Cannabis has the potential to absorb more pesticide residue because of its bioaccumulating properties. As a bioaccumulator, cannabis can absorb compounds like pesticides and heavy metals from its surroundings, including the soil and water. So much so, that a common use for industrial hemp is environmental remediation to clean contaminated soil. Unfortunately, many pesticides, particularly in high concentrations, have been known to cause a variety of health issues.
Heat
Most pesticides have not been fully studied to understand what happens to them at the high temperatures associated with smoking or vaping. Due to this lack of information, it is unclear what conversions might take place, and if these compounds might change to potentially harmful structures with unintended consequences to health and human safety.
How cannabis testing labs screen for pesticides
To minimize the possibility that harmful pesticides make it into products, pesticide screening is required by state law. The precise regulations around pesticides and acceptable levels vary from state to state, but regardless of the specifics, testing is important to guarantee consumer safety and regulatory compliance.
Sample collection
Ensuring that testing samples are fully representative of the product itself is essential to conducting proper pesticide testing on cannabis. Samples must be taken from different parts of the plant to compare whether pesticides might be clustered in certain areas more than others.
Additionally, when consumer cannabis products are tested, sampling must consist of multiple units throughout the batch to ensure a representative amount of product is tested. Without representative samples, the time, energy, and costs associated with testing the product would be wasted and potentially contaminated cannabis could make it to dispensary shelves. It is imperative, and often required by state law, that a representative from a licensed laboratory perform the sample collection and follow strict protocols around doing so.
Sample processing
In analytical chemistry, sample processing refers to the ways in which a sample is treated prior to its analysis. Processing includes homogenization, the process of thoroughly mixing together parts of the plant to ensure that the tested sample is more representative of the entire plant. Sample processing is used to ensure accurate and reliable test results and includes identifying and extracting pesticides from the sample for testing. If this is not done precisely, test results will not be representative of an entire batch.
Handling and transporting
Cannabis laboratories must also be careful to conduct proper handling and transportation of samples to prevent potential contamination from other sources.
Contamination from improper handling practices can result in inaccurate testing results and potentially create dangerous health risks for consumers. Therefore, laboratory representatives should adhere to strict laboratory sample handling methods, wear personal protection equipment (PPE), and follow proper handwashing and sanitation standards during the handling and transportation of products. This is particularly important for cannabis edibles, which in many states require food safety plans.
LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS
At True Labs for Cannabis, we use leading technology to detect, identify and quantify pesticides. To test for pesticides, True Labs for Cannabis analyzes samples using both liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). These are the top testing methods available today because of their high sensitivity and ability to analyze various pesticides with fast results.
Examples of harmful pesticides in cannabis
While the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set standards for pesticide screenings in agriculture, the group has yet to weigh in on cannabis due to the plant’s lack of federal legality. For this reason, rules and regulations for pesticide screening vary from state to state. While some states like New Jersey have banned the use of pesticides on cannabis plants altogether, others, like California, have set limits on their use.
In the Garden State, regulators are working to set NJ’s cannabis rules and regulations for the cannabis market since the ballot referendum for adult use passed in November 2020. Currently, the state has banned the use of all pesticides on cannabis plants and adopted interim testing guidelines for pesticide screening and other testing procedures from Maryland’s medical cannabis program.
Maryland’s pesticide testing guidelines identify 48 chemicals that cannabis testing labs should screen for. It also includes limited acceptable quantities for these pesticides in cannabis products. Some examples of the most harmful or common pesticides on the list include:
Paclobutrazol: Paclobutrazol is a plant growth regulator that impacts plant cells' ability to elongate. When applied to cannabis, this causes cells to pack much tighter and denser on the plant. This may reduce the plant's ability to produce THC, as well as other beneficial terpenes.
Carbaryl: Carbaryl is an insecticide used to control fire ants, fleas, ticks, spiders, and other insects that may threaten plants. Ongoing exposure to carbaryl in humans can cause headaches, memory loss, muscle weakness, cramps, and even anorexia.
Etoxazole: Etoxazole is an acaricide primarily used on ornamental and landscape plants to combat spider mites and various other pesticides. A study in 2017 exposed rats to hefty amounts of Etoxazole and discovered damage to the liver and kidney.
Daminozide: Daminozide is a plant growth regulator used to slow growth and maximize bud yields. However, this severely restricts the production of terpenes and other beneficial compounds in the plant. Daminozide is listed as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA and was banned in the U.S. for use in consumable plants in 1999.
The True Labs for Cannabis way
At True Labs for Cannabis, we are driven by our mission to ensure that consumers in New Jersey have access to safe and reliable cannabis that is 100% free of pesticide residue in accordance with the state’s regulatory guidelines. For NJ cannabis manufacturers who want to verify their products, True Labs for Cannabis is the go-to analytical laboratory for the highest quality cannabis testing services.