I would love to know where this was grown.
Who grew it.
I would love to know if there are pesticides
used on it.
EMILY ATKIN WANTS TO KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT THE
LEGAL MARIJUANA SHE SMOKES
AS SHE DOES ABOUT THE FOOD SHE EATS.
BUT THE PRODUCT LABELS ON RECREATIONAL POT
WHERE SHE LIVES IN D.C. DON’T SAY MUCH.
(Emily reading label)
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IS LEGAL IN THE DISTRICT.
BUT NO ONE REGULATES IT, SO THERE’S NO TESTING
AND NO ONE’S
REQUIRED TO TELL YOU WHAT’S IN IT.
I know that other places have testing of their
products and they can be assured of things
that I just can’t and I do find it a bit
unfair.
MARIJUANA MYSTERIES AREN’T LIMITED TO D.C.
GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT’S IN LEGAL POT
MAY DEPEND ON WHERE YOU LIVE.
BECAUSE CANNABIS ISN’T LEGAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL,
THERE’S A PATCHWORK OF REGULATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
STATES SET THEIR OWN LAWS AND THEIR OWN REQUIREMENTS
FOR TESTING FOR THINGS LIKE BACTERIA, MOLD OR PESTICIDES,
RESIDUAL CHEMICALS, EVEN HEAVY
METALS LIKE MERCURY OR LEAD.
ALL THOSE THINGS CAN END UP IN MARIJUANA.
AND MAKE YOU SICK.
Just the average person concerned for their
health is also going to be worried about
these contaminants.
IT’S THE JOB OF DAN KULAKOWSKI TO FIGURE
OUT IF WHAT’S IN THE POT PRODUCTS PEOPLE USE.
HE’S THE LAB DIRECTOR AT A FACILITY RUN
BY STEEP HILL.
THEY’RE A COMPANY THAT TESTS CANNABIS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
TRANSPARENCY, HE SAYS, IS THEIR GOAL.
As labs, we’re not the cops.
We’re not the regulators.
We’re just providing the data to the customers
and to the state.
BUT THE DATA LABS TRACK, THE TESTS THEY PERFORM,
EVEN WHAT’S CONSIDERED AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF CONTAMINATION
IS DIFFERENT FROM STATE TO
STATE.
IN MICHIGAN FOR EXAMPLE, BATCHES OF MEDICAL
MARIJUANA HAVE TO BE INSPECTED FOR THINGS
LIKE RUBBER SHAVINGS OR HAIR, AND TESTING
FOR PESTICIDES AND HEAVY METALS
LIKE MERCURY AND LEAD IS REQUIRED
BUT THOSE TWO TESTS ARE OPTIONAL FOR
RECREATIONAL POT IN WASHINGTON STATE.
THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE A LAB CERTIFIED TO
TEST FOR HEAVY METALS.
AND IN OREGON, TESTING FOR SOMETHING AS SCARY
AS E.COLI IS DONE AT RANDOM,
WHILE CALIFORNIA REQUIRES THAT WITH EVERY BATCH,
ALTHOUGH WE FOUND YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO
HAVE A SCIENCE DEGREE TO RUN A LAB THERE.
We’re working very hard right now to come
up with some sort of standardized system
that can be applied to all states.
THIS IS MORGAN FOX WITH THE NATIONAL CANNABIS
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION.
WHILE HE SAYS GROWERS, PRODUCERS AND EVEN
LABS WANT NATIONAL TESTING STANDARDS,
THEY’RE NOT FANS OF STRICT REGULATION THAT COULD STIFLE EVOLVING SCIENCE.
AND HE POINTS OUT THERE HAVE BEEN FEW EXAMPLES
OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS WITH POT,
EVEN WHEN IT WASN’T LEGAL.
We absolutely want the product to be as safe
as it can be.
Just because it’s safer than what’s available
on the illicit market doesn’t mean what’s
available on the legal market can’t get
better.
THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, EVEN IN STATES
WITH WIDE REGULATION OF TESTING.
IN CALIFORNIA, WHERE POT WAS BROADLY LEGALIZED
LAST YEAR,
EARLY MANDATORY TESTS FLAGGED HUNDREDS OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS
BECAUSE OF PESTICIDES
AND MOLD.
BUT HEALTH OFFICIALS EMPHASIZED THEY HAD NO
VERIFIED REPORTS OF ILLNESSES
STILL LEGAL USERS LIKE EMILY, SAY THEY DESERVE
TO KNOW WHAT THEY’RE PUTTING IN THEIR BODIES.
People are worried about what’s in these
products for sure.
I mean my friends and I have talked about
it.
I think it should get tackled before something
bad happens.
