Health Canada Mandates Cannabis Testing for Pesticides
Kelly Weimert
May 18th, 2017
Policy
Female doctor with clipboard testing cannabis sativa flowers in the field
Given the cloud of uncertainty that surrounds the legality of cannabis in the United States, if investors and entrepreneurs are looking for more clarity to inform their decisions, then a great place to start is with Canada.
As Canada-wide legalization of recreational marijuana is about to be put into place, an increasing number of measures are being taken to ensure the standardization and quality of the plants being sold are fair and safe for consumers. And among the most recent measures is Health Canada’s decision to apply mandatory testing of medical cannabis for unauthorized pesticides.
United States’-based cannabis investors would be wise to take notes on what this means for the growing processes and practices for Canadian businesses as they’re like to face similar measures if/when the U.S. expands marijuana accessibility.
Reason for mandatory testing
For now, the testing mandate applies to medical cannabis only, which makes sense given that traditional pharmaceuticals have long been tested for quality and consistency to ensure the safety of the patient using them.
In February, Canada Health cited three recalls of medical cannabis related to the use of unauthorized pesticides as the driving force behind the inspections it plans to put in place.
What do the inspections entail?
The quality-control inspections of licensed producers will include random testing of marijuana products via samples collected from plant leaves, dried cannabis, and cannabis oil, if applicable. Additionally, it’s within the inspector’s right to test any products he or she suspects to contain pesticides found on site during their visit.
All licensed producers of medical marijuana are subject to the mandatory testing of all cannabis products destined to be sold, and the tests can be either via announced or unannounced visits.
These tests are in addition to the tests licensed producers are already subject to, which include testing products for microbial and chemical contaminants such as mold, metals, and bacterial and fungal contamination.
What are they testing for, exactly?
According to the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, there are distinctly 17 pesticides listed under the Pesticides Act (PCPA) that are authorized for use on cannabis crops and productions.
If a licensed producer is currently using any pesticides outside of the aforementioned 17, then they should expect legal action as no exceptions are being made to the requirements — Health Canada made clear that any use of a pesticide not listed would be deemed unacceptable and action will be taken.
What does this mean for growers’ future?
Health Canada only issued these new requirements this month, so details as far as how things will play out are still unfolding.
That said, in the coming weeks Health Canada is expected to provide additional guidance to licensed producers regarding how this mandatory testing will be implemented and enforced, including how test results will be reported to Health Canada.
So how, and to what extent, these measures will be enforced remains to be seen, but the guidelines are clear with respect to the chemicals that can and cannot be used in cannabis products made for sale.
Should United States growers expect similar measures?
As mentioned, there’s a lot that remains to be seen regarding the legality around cannabis in the U.S. given the mixed access across states.
But chances are, should cannabis become legal country-wide, officials will be looking at the models of standardization and quality control in other countries, like Canada, to inform future policies and practices.
Therefore, while no one can say for certain what will and will not be authorized with respect to medical marijuana testing, it’s safe to assume that there will be parallels between how Canada is managing medical marijuana and how the U.S. will plan to.
This article was published by CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the industry’s leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the burgeoning CBD and legal cannabis industries. Call +1 (833) 420-CNFN for more information.
About Kelly Weimert
Kelly is a full-time freelance writer based in Austin, TX. A happy hybrid of geek and hippie, when she's not nestled into her couch crankin' out crafty prose with her miscreant Chihuahua, you can find her frolicking outside to keep her sanity in check.
Search CannabisFN
Press Coverage
Psychedelics Index
Top Videos
The producers of O’ Cannabiz have decades of experience producing national-profile events and creating global connections between business communities in the arts, broadcasting, media and technology. They have organized trade summit initiatives with governments around the world. And they have worked closely with sponsors in all levels of Canadian government.
Watch CFN Media’s exclusive three part interview with Paul Rosen, one of the most active and diversified investors in the emerging cannabis industry. Paul gives his insights on the global cannabis industry and discusses his new endeavors. Become a CFN Media Client Paul Rosen is a noted career entrepreneur and management consultant. Over the last […]
NexTech AR Solutions is bringing augmented reality and holographic teleportation to the cannabis market and other fast-growing markets by turning 2D products into exciting 3D consumer experiences.
True Leaf is a Licensed Producer of cannabis preparing to launch a program to provide seed-to-shelf solutions for micro-cultivators.
Network Partners
About CFN Media Group
CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN) owns and operates CFN Media Group, the premier agency and financial media network reaching executives, entrepreneurs and consumers worldwide. Through its proprietary content creation, video library, and distribution via www.CannabisFN.com, CFN has built an extensive database of cannabis interest, assisting many of the world’s largest cannabis firms and CBD brands to build awareness and thrive. For more information, please visit www.cfnenterprisesinc.com.
Disclaimer: Matters discussed on this website contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, may from time-to-time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and will increase or decrease such positions without notice. The Information contains forward-looking statements, i.e. statements or discussions that constitute predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates, or projections as indicated by such words as "expects", "will", "anticipates", and "estimates"; therefore, you should proceed with extreme caution in relying upon such statements and conduct a full investigation of the Information and the Profiled Issuer as well as any such forward-looking statements. Any forward looking statements we make in the Information are limited to the time period in which they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward looking statements that may change at any time; The Information is presented only as a brief "snapshot" of the Profiled Issuer and should only be used, at most, and if at all, as a starting point for you to conduct a thorough investigation of the Profiled Issuer and its securities and to consult your financial, legal or other adviser(s) and avail yourself of the filings and information that may be accessed at www.sec.gov, www.pinksheets.com, www.otcmarkets.com or other electronic sources, including: (a) reviewing SEC periodic reports (Forms 10-Q and 10-K), reports of material events (Form 8-K), insider reports (Forms 3, 4, 5 and Schedule 13D); (b) reviewing Information and Disclosure Statements and unaudited financial reports filed with the Pink Sheets or www.otcmarkets.com; (c) obtaining and reviewing publicly available information contained in commonlyknown search engines such as Google; and (d) consulting investment guides at www.sec.gov and www.finra.com. You should always be cognizant that the Profiled Issuers may not be current in their reporting obligations with the SEC and OTCMarkets and/or have negative signs at www.otcmarkets.com (See section below titled "Risks Related to the Profiled Issuers, which provides additional information pertaining thereto). For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice and that of their own professional advisers. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, may be compensated for its Services in the form of cash-based and/or equity-based compensation in the companies it writes about, or a combination of the two. For full disclosure, please visit: https://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/. A short time after we acquire the securities of the foregoing company, we may publish the (favorable) information about the issuer referenced above advising others, including you, to purchase; and while doing so, we may sell the securities we acquired. In addition, a third-party shareholder compensating us may sell his or her shares of the issuer while we are publishing favorable information about the issuer. Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, may from time to time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and will increase or decrease such positions without notice. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice and that of their own professional advisers. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, may be compensated for its Services in the form of cash-based and/or equity- based compensation in the companies it writes about, or a combination of the two. For full disclosure please visit: https://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/.
Copyright © Accelerize Inc. · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Legal Disclaimer
