Starting next spring, Oregon will require all marijuana products sold in dispensaries or recreational shops to undergo testing for nearly 60 pesticides.
Until the new rules take effect, the state plans to allow the marijuana industry to continue to operate as it does now, with broad pesticide regulations that allow tainted products to end up on store shelves.
But on Monday the Oregon Health Authority signaled that it is willing to consider tightening up current pesticide rules until new, tougher regulations go into effect next June.
A member of the committee that advises the agency on medical marijuana rules on Monday pressed the state to require tougher testing between now and June.
Mowgli Holmes, a scientist who owns a Phylos Bioscience, a Portland-based company that does genetic research on cannabis, on Monday pushed the health authority to ditch its current requirement that marijuana be tested for four broad classes of chemicals and instead require testing for 10 or 12 of the most commonly used pesticides.
"The problem is these pesticide testing rules don't make any sense and can't be followed," said Holmes. "Stuff is going onto the shelves and it looks like they have been testing for pesticides and it hasn't been tested for pesticides."
Michael Tynan, a policy officer with the health authority, encouraged Holmes to submit his proposed changes to the state for review. The state is in the process of drafting rules for medical marijuana dispensaries, grow sites, labeling and testing among other things.
The health authority this fall crafted tougher rules for pesticide testing. The rules, which represent a radical shift in how Oregon has dealt with pesticides in marijuana, require detailed screenings for particular pesticides. Labs that perform the tests must be accredited by the state, a rigorous process designed to ensure they are using appropriate equipment and scientific methods.
But none of those changes take effect until June, which means the industry for now will be allowed to operate under current pesticide testing regulations. An investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier this year found that a combination of lax state rules, inconsistent lab practices and inaccurate test results has allowed pesticide-laced products to enter the medical marijuana market.
Holmes said the state should consider implementing stopgap rules.
"We would really like to see some intermediate step that gets pesticides out of the system," he said.
Rodger Voelker, a chemist at OG Analytical, a Eugene-based marijuana testing lab, said he understands the push for tougher standards now, but he said labs must first be accredited for their pesticide results to be credible. Labs are just beginning that time-consuming process, which is overseen by the state.
Without that check on labs, he said tougher pesticide rules won't mean anything.
"I am afraid it's just another pretense that we are doing a better job because there is nothing that provides that without formal accreditation and proficiency tests," he said.
Volker said he too is deeply troubled that the current state of pesticide testing is expected to remain in place until next spring. He said he continues to see tainted products coming through his lab. Growers whose products are contaminated usually take their marijuana to other labs hoping for different results, he said.
"It really bothers me that this whole thing is just going to continue as it is," he said. "We have seen no changes."
-- Noelle Crombie
503-276-7184; @noellecrombie