Metals, Fungus Found in Colorado’s Marijuana
What's in Colorado's Recreational Pot? continued...
Mary Meek, director of business development at Charas, said some marijuana samples had levels that are OK for grocery store produce. “But right now [the testing] is not in effect for marijuana, so you don’t really know how dirty or clean your product is right now.”
The possible health effects are unknown. While smoking a marijuana bud would conceivably kill the fungus, what if a user smells the marijuana first and breathes it in? Could it make him sick? For an industry just emerging from eight decades on the black market, there are few answers.
“The problem is it’s not been tracked. You may just think you’re getting a cold and it may look like allergies, when in reality it could be something else going on,” Meek said.
Another problem is edible marijuana products. Meek said researchers have found E. coli -- though not a hazardous form -- and salmonella in some samples. Yet Denver is the only municipality in Colorado where health inspectors monitor edible marijuana products. Salmonella has also been found on marijuana buds, likely a result of organic growing techniques.
Still, Meek said that type of contamination is “rare.”
“None of this is meant to be a scare campaign. That’s not why we’re here,” she said. “We want to label your marijuana like we would label your liquor or your beer. You want to know your items have been tested and they’re safe.”
When contaminant testing becomes mandatory, pot stores will be required to test for molds, mildew, and filth; germs; and herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and other harmful chemicals. They will also be required to include this information on labels, along with potency and the number of servings.