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Another thing that happens to outdoor grown cannabis is pesticide contamination. Even if your farm is a good distance from some commercial agriculture, if they

Another thing that happens to outdoor grown cannabis is pesticide contamination. Even if your farm is a good distance from some commercial agriculture, if they spray it can, and does, contaminate your crop -- which for regulated cannabis requires destruction. Literally burning (or composting) thousands of dollars of product. And if the pesticides test are hot on the cross-contaminated cannabis; how much is on those apples three fields over?

to11mtm 2y ago
Wouldn't composting risk having the pesticides go into the next crop further contaminating? Although, to your point, they can just sell it to the nearby farms growing stuff we eat that isn't tested the same way...
- openthc 2y ago
  Typically, and USA specific, the rules are to grind it up, mix with equal parts existing dirt/compost and then it's OK. So that dilutes it by half; then this compost is spread around and, like you said, can be used for other crops. Also, as the material sits in the compost pile, which should be agitated, the pesticides will leach out/break down. I just got a message from WA-LCB today with updated pesticide information, working with WSU, so here's some details -- https://agr.wa.gov/departments/cannabis/pesticide-use https://agr.wa.gov/departments/cannabis/pesticide-use And here's the Action Limits defined in WA law: https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=314-55-108 https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=314-55-108
- waldothedog 2y ago
  Many asterisks here but there are methods for remediating herbicide and pesticide contamination. Not saying it’s universally solved, but its not universally unsolvable either. Edit: I meant to speak specifically in terms of compost production.
ajross 2y ago
> which for regulated cannabis requires destruction Which regulation is this that requires destroying a nearby crop... instead of the one the pesticide was actually applied to? I'm confused here. Pesticides don't "contaminate" crops in that way, they're literally intended to be use on the food.
- InvertedRhodium 2y ago
  I live in NZ where there are medical standards applied to legal cannabis - only recently have I seen dispensaries advertising non irradiated cannabis, presumably because the manufacturing facilities have progressed to no longer require it. It might be something similar?
  - pests 2y ago
    non irradiated?
    - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
      It’s a common sterilisation technique [1]. [1] https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-irradiation-what-you-need-know https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-irra...
      - setopt 2y ago
        Quite common for example for dried spices, which pre-irradiation used to have a risk of dangerous bacterial contamination if they were dried outside.
- anamexis 2y ago
  I’d imagine that there are different standards applied to things intended to be eaten vs things intended to be inhaled.
  - Scoundreller 2y ago
snypher 2y ago
Residue levels are researched and regulated, along with drift trespass lawsuits and crop damage insurance. I guess my answer to cannabis is that if the zero-tolerance remains a factor then it's a business risk decision to grow outdoors vs indoors.
lm28469 2y ago
How bad is smoking pesticide vs eating pesticides?
- dzink 2y ago
  The eaten one goes through your stomach acid and can be flushed out naturally through the system. The inhaled particles may get stuck in your lungs or worse: absorbed. Lungs are not a through channel. Things absorbed there go to the brain, blood stream, a lot faster. The stuff you spray on plants is usually meant to kill or repel bugs and critters. So won’t be friendly to lung or brain tissue. Possible cancerous too.
  - fransje26 2y ago
    These pesticides are a bit like the magical Chernobyl radioactive cloud, which, thanks to some miraculous high pressure and low pressures zones, neatly avoided some countries by flowing along their borders. Here, the pesticides are magically contained by our stomach acids, and never pass the gut barrier to enter our bodies, making them absolutely safe.
    - dzink 2y ago
      The produce you buy at safeway comes from all over the place and spraying sometimes is done with a a crop-dusting air plane. Nobody claims they are contained in food. Just possibly less absorbable than via lungs.
    - kortilla 2y ago
      That’s a stupid comparison because country borders don’t have physical differences. The stomach is nothing like the lungs. Inhale a glass of water and let us know how fake that difference is.
- rolph 2y ago
  some chemistry occurs as a result of burning. dependent on substance it can be worse, or more immediate. e.g. benomyl [fungicide] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benomyl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benomyl will produce cyanide as combustion product.

to11mtm 2y ago

Wouldn't composting risk having the pesticides go into the next crop further contaminating? Although, to your point, they can just sell it to the nearby farms growing stuff we eat that isn't tested the same way...

openthc 2y ago
Typically, and USA specific, the rules are to grind it up, mix with equal parts existing dirt/compost and then it's OK. So that dilutes it by half; then this compost is spread around and, like you said, can be used for other crops. Also, as the material sits in the compost pile, which should be agitated, the pesticides will leach out/break down. I just got a message from WA-LCB today with updated pesticide information, working with WSU, so here's some details -- https://agr.wa.gov/departments/cannabis/pesticide-use https://agr.wa.gov/departments/cannabis/pesticide-use And here's the Action Limits defined in WA law: https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=314-55-108 https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=314-55-108
waldothedog 2y ago
Many asterisks here but there are methods for remediating herbicide and pesticide contamination. Not saying it’s universally solved, but its not universally unsolvable either. Edit: I meant to speak specifically in terms of compost production.

ajross 2y ago

> which for regulated cannabis requires destruction Which regulation is this that requires destroying a nearby crop... instead of the one the pesticide was actually applied to? I'm confused here. Pesticides don't "contaminate" crops in that way, they're literally intended to be use on the food.

InvertedRhodium 2y ago
I live in NZ where there are medical standards applied to legal cannabis - only recently have I seen dispensaries advertising non irradiated cannabis, presumably because the manufacturing facilities have progressed to no longer require it. It might be something similar?
- pests 2y ago
  non irradiated?
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    It’s a common sterilisation technique [1]. [1] https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-irradiation-what-you-need-know https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-irra...
    - setopt 2y ago
      Quite common for example for dried spices, which pre-irradiation used to have a risk of dangerous bacterial contamination if they were dried outside.
anamexis 2y ago
I’d imagine that there are different standards applied to things intended to be eaten vs things intended to be inhaled.
- Scoundreller 2y ago

snypher 2y ago

Residue levels are researched and regulated, along with drift trespass lawsuits and crop damage insurance. I guess my answer to cannabis is that if the zero-tolerance remains a factor then it's a business risk decision to grow outdoors vs indoors.

lm28469 2y ago

How bad is smoking pesticide vs eating pesticides?

dzink 2y ago
The eaten one goes through your stomach acid and can be flushed out naturally through the system. The inhaled particles may get stuck in your lungs or worse: absorbed. Lungs are not a through channel. Things absorbed there go to the brain, blood stream, a lot faster. The stuff you spray on plants is usually meant to kill or repel bugs and critters. So won’t be friendly to lung or brain tissue. Possible cancerous too.
- fransje26 2y ago
  These pesticides are a bit like the magical Chernobyl radioactive cloud, which, thanks to some miraculous high pressure and low pressures zones, neatly avoided some countries by flowing along their borders. Here, the pesticides are magically contained by our stomach acids, and never pass the gut barrier to enter our bodies, making them absolutely safe.
  - dzink 2y ago
    The produce you buy at safeway comes from all over the place and spraying sometimes is done with a a crop-dusting air plane. Nobody claims they are contained in food. Just possibly less absorbable than via lungs.
  - kortilla 2y ago
    That’s a stupid comparison because country borders don’t have physical differences. The stomach is nothing like the lungs. Inhale a glass of water and let us know how fake that difference is.
rolph 2y ago
some chemistry occurs as a result of burning. dependent on substance it can be worse, or more immediate. e.g. benomyl [fungicide] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benomyl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benomyl will produce cyanide as combustion product.