Questions about pesticide application to marijuana plants in Colorado and potential pest contamination to other crops have revealed gaps in the agricultural knowledge surrounding the state’s burgeoning industry.
Prior to the 2012 passage of Colorado’s Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, its cultivation was allowed only in licensed medical marijuana operations.
A recent Denver Post article about the quarantining of hundreds of marijuana plants at a commercial facility due to the improper use and application of pesticides and fungicides, brought to light an issue that has received little or no attention from the general public.
According to the March 23 story:
The state of Colorado has long had “best practices” type of guidance for pesticide use by pot growers, but the state has yet to conclude work on implementing rules for pesticide use in the industry.
Agriculture regulators generally require pesticides to be used as labeled.
But because there aren’t any pesticides labeled for use on marijuana, growers are asked to use pesticides labeled for “unspecified crops and/or plants.
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