A big mound of fresh dirt sits at Terry Taylor's marijuana farm in the high desert of north-central Washington state. Each hole for a new plant gets filled with the clean soil.
Due to marijuana’s illegal status under federal law, states have written their own rules about pesticides in cannabis. There is wide variety about which are regulated and how much of a trace can remain in products. It's unclear how many states require cannabis to be tested for legacy pesticides such as DDT.
There were 108 samples tested from the companies and 59 came back with unapproved levels of DDE, the board said. Christopher Simpson, deputy director of the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center at the University of Washington, said the risk from DDE in cannabis is probably low, though possibly more of a concern for anyone using the marijuana medicinally, since they already may have health issues.
Given a lack of scientific evidence about what constitutes a dangerous level of DDE in cannabis, Taylor and other affected growers argued that regulators had overreacted by having them halt operations, rather than just issue recalls. It isn't clear how the DDE wound up in the products. Cannabis is known for its ability to remove contaminants from soil and has been studied for use in environmental cleanup. Taylor said he believed the contamination most likely came from dust settling on the plants as he and others drove or walked on the farm, or even from DDT present in wildfire smoke in the region.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw visits Alaska for charity golf tourneyTerry Bradshaw, a football star with Hollywood credentials, paid a visit to Anchorage Golf Course on Thursday to play in the Afognak Youth Charity Golf Tourney. While he didn't pack his four Super Bowl championship trophies that he earned with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, Bradshaw did bring his trademark enthusiasm to the links with a few family members. After his Hall of Fame football career, Bradshaw made his mark in movies and television shows, and currently does analysis for Fox's NFL programming. Bradshaw said this was his fourth trip to the 49th state.
Read more »
Appeals court pauses order that restricts Biden officials from contacting social networks | EngadgetAppeals court pauses order that restricts Biden officials from contacting social networks
Read more »
‘Botched’ doc Terry Dubrow issues Ozempic warning after Lisa Marie Presley autopsy“Nobody’s talking about this right now, but we need to talk about it.”
Read more »
Washington legal marijuana farms get back to work after pesticide concerns prompted restrictionsSome legal cannabis growers in Washington state who were ordered to halt operations in April over concerns about pesticide contamination are getting back to business
Read more »