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Buyer Beware: What’s organic? In the cannabis market, that’s a difficult query

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap radius”]H[/dropcap]ow can you know for sure that the natural cannabis plant you are about to consume is organic? To put it simply—you can’t.

From the exhaustive efforts of cannabis producers across the nation who uphold pristine cannabis-growing operations that follow what appear to be organic practices to the frauds that have been pushing contaminated cannabis and claiming it is organic, the term “organic” is a complicated subject in the cannabis community.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) organic seal of approval has been around since October 2002. This certification informs consumers which food and agricultural products have been produced with methods that preserve the environment and are free from pesticides, antibiotics, genetically modified organisms and other synthetic materials.

Regardless of how it is grown, cannabis is unable to qualify under the USDA’s organic label. This is because cannabis is still a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and that makes the production of the plant federally illegal.

Although state governments like Washington, Colorado and Oregon allow for the recreational consumption of cannabis, state governments still hold no power in certifying cannabis as organic.

Brian E. Smith is the Communications Director at Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. Smith explained why his state agency, among others, is at a stand still until federal regulations change. “. . . Certifying something as ‘organic’ is a federal process. Because marijuana is a federally controlled substance, it won’t allow the ‘organic certification.’ Washington State can’t certify anything as organic if the federal government doesn’t allow it first. So, we don’t have the ability to change our regulations.”

Washington isn’t the only state that is facing this struggle; Colorado State has also been facing hardships due to this lack of regulation, as there have been reports of many dispensaries falsely advertising organic and chemical-free products.

Boulder Weekly reported in May 2015 that 10 local dispensaries had been investigated for pesticide-related violations, and many of these companies had been advertising their contaminated products as organic. This is a perfect example of “buyer beware” and the problem with the limited regulation on the word organic.

After receiving many complaints, Roger Hudson from the Colorado Attorney General’s office commented to Harvest Public Media on the state’s current stance on regulating the production of organic cannabis claims, “Is there a legal definition at this point in time? No there is not. But there is a general idea of what ‘organically grown’ is.”

Without a legal definition outlining what we already understand as organic cannabis, Hudson shared that Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman is working with fraud investigators to look into the state’s various dispensaries that have complaints against them for falsely advertising organic products. It is unclear if there will be negative repercussions for these businesses.

The federal government’s lack of regulating sustainable, natural and safe cannabis has opened the door for private companies to step in. Some of the most popular third party companies who are working to provide agricultural certifications to ensure safe, clean and environmentally conscious agricultural and cannabis grows are California’s Clean Green Certified and Oregon’s Organic Cannabis Growers Association.

California’s Clean Green Certified offers The Clean Green Certification Program, which covers everything to help ensure farmers will lower their carbon footprint while creating the safest product available. They do this by consulting on the best methods for growing the crop to testing the crop for pesticides and other contaminants.

Organic Cannabis Growers Association has a partnership with Certified-Kind, giving their clients top tier certification program choices. Their Certified Kind Program is known as “The Gold Standard in cannabis certification,” although it is also popular amongst vegetable growers who value sustainability and organic growing methods. The Naturally Grown Cannabis Program focuses on using the most natural and organic products to produce the best quality cannabis possible, and although they aren’t affiliated with the USDA, some of their standards are stricter than the USDA.

Farmers who uphold organic integrity use natural processes and materials in every aspect of the production of their product, from soil to pest management and everything in between, deserve the certification that their product is in fact organic. However until there is proper regulation rolling out from the federal government in the near future, it is uncertain when this right will be given.

 

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