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Growing cannabis provides consumers and businesses owners with many benefits over the product they control, but D.I.Y. growing can also present a few problems for both first-time and seasoned growers. Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most common issues that growers face. PM is a fungus that can appear on leaves and stems, and if left untreated, can eventually spread to the buds. If affected, the buds cannot be sold, leaving growers to toss the cannabis or try and salvage it, possibly by using it for concentrates like live resin and CO2 oil.

The safety of the consumer has come into question and the community wants to know, is it safe to consume concentrates that were derived from plants with PM?

Well, the answer is not simple, nor is there a clear “yes” or “no” in any instances. Some believe there is a way to sift out the PM from the rest of the material with the appropriate filters. Others think it should all just be thrown away. Additionally, there is also a belief that you can wash the mold away with certain solvents.

“One of the most amazing things about extracting with CO2 is the ability to separate individual compounds as the extraction is taking place.”

Solventless Extraction

There are several techniques used in solventless extraction. One is the process of making rosin. Heat and pressure are used to make the sticky concentrate, derived from a cured bud. However, if the bud has PM, there isn’t a process for getting rid of it before squishing the bud into rosin. Therefore, this is one process that the majority agrees is unsafe to consume if it were made with flowers that had PM.

Bubble hash and resin are two solventless extracts in which screens are used to sift out the plant material. Since powdery mildew is less than 20 microns in size, some would suggest that if you use a screen that is smaller (which most do when making these solventless concentrates), then you can eliminate PM. According to Skunk Pharm Research LLC, “Simply removing all the spores and mold material makes it useable by removing allergens, as well as the ghastly moldy taste and smell.”

It can still be argued that PM may still be present and that it may not completely disappear in the case of bubble hash. With this process, there is no clear conclusion as to whether using cannabis with PM is advisable.

Butane and Propane Extraction

While butane extraction has been getting its fair share of criticism lately, the extraction process is what we are concentrating on here. Generally, formal facilities that are using this process are using either propane or a 70/30 combination of propane/butane as the solvent.

While this is a popular method of extraction, extractors and cultivators have mixed views on if butane and propane extraction is enough to flush plants with PM. Some say that using solvents like butane or propane will kill any bacteria, microbials or mold/mildew, making it safe to consume after extraction, while others say that there is not enough research and testing to make the extracts safe for consumption.

Ethanol Extraction

Ethanol extracted concentrates are used for a multitude of products; from edibles to tinctures to full extract cannabis oil. CULTURE spoke with Lisa Barrett, CSO of California Cannabis Company. When asked about her knowledge about using plants with PM, she said, “If extracted with [food grade] alcohol, most microbials from the PM are eliminated. We ran a batch from a third-party to verify and the lab results came back free of contaminants.” Using a syringe with a 0.2-micron filter is another common suggestion to flush out the PM. The consensus seems to be that ethanol extraction can currently be considered as one way to rid the product of any PM.

CO2 Extraction

The CO2 extraction method is trending right now. Companies are making glass-tipped syringes filled with the gold medicine. Edibles made with CO2 derived concentrate have been flying off dispensary shelves as well.

Some believe this method is a great way to extract the bad from the good because, according to Eden Labs, “one of the most amazing things about extracting with CO2 is the ability to separate individual compounds as the extraction is taking place. Different molecular weight compounds drop out at different temperatures and pressures, thus allowing for the fractionation to take place in individual separators.” This suggests that this process can even take out contaminants.

Honest Marijuana leaves the guesswork out of it. “Running supercritical liquid CO2 through reefer also kills any microbial bacteria, mold, mildew or insect mites that shouldn’t be in your weed in the first place, guaranteeing that your concentrates will be cleaner and healthier for you to consume.”

Although there is no consensus as to the safety of consuming concentrates derived from buds with PM, the cannabis community still wants to know what they are consuming. Dispensaries should be forthcoming about what is happening behind the scenes. They should be actively trying to get rid of all PM as quickly as possible (regardless of the possible loss of capital). Unfortunately, many are not informing their customers.

As such, it is the up to the consumer to find out. Consumers should look for dispensaries that list their testing results and find smaller dispensaries with good reputations. It is also advised that consumers should ask dispensaries for a tour of their cannabis grows before deciding if you will sign their plants over. On a side note, if you already have a respiratory issue, stay away from products with mold or mildew of any kind. This industry is still wet behind the ears, but there is one thing we all know: We want to medicate ourselves in the healthiest way possible.

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