A new Colorado bill aims to set new guidelines for organic marijuana. It would prompt the state's department of agriculture to make certification rules for pesticide-free cannabis. The bill is scheduled for its first hearing on Friday.
In a report by Consumerist, the hearing will take place in the state House Public Health Care and Human Services Committee. It is unclear, however, what growers will have to meet in order for their product to be certified organic or what pesticides will be prohibited in the production. The Department of Agriculture will be assigned to make the certification rules for pesticide-free cannabis.
According to The Guardian, Jonathan Singer, a Democratic state representative supporting the legislation in establishing guidelines for state-approved organic marijuana, the "next natural step in making sure marijuana is treated similar to alcohol." He cited that there are organic beer and organic wine.
ABC News added that Singer said consumers "have a right to know what they're putting in their body." Larisa Bolivar, head of the Cannabis Consumers Coalition, echoed Singer's sentiments, saying some organic growers of marijuana mislead people with their labeling. She added, "You need to know that when something says organic, it's organic."
The new bill will reportedly help in solving some of the confusion surrounding pesticide usage since recreational marijuana was approved in the state back in 2012. City officials ordered a hold on some marijuana plants at numerous facilities in 2015 after they discovered that growers may have improperly used pesticides. Also just recently, authorities seized thousands of marijuana plants as growers are suspected of using chemicals that are "off-limits."
However, there are things to consider for the bill since marijuana is still illegal at the federal level. This means that Colorado cannot use the United States Department of Agriculture labels or rely on national certification rules for the labeling of organic marijuana. Colorado would have to implement their own guidelines.
Without any formal regulation, people selling marijuana on the black market are free to say that their products are organic even if they are not pesticide free. If and when the bill is passed, the labeling could most likely begin by 2018.
