Pubdate: Wed, 25 Jun 2014
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2014 Associated Press
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Kristen Wyatt, the Associated Press
Page: B5

FOOD SAFETY A NEW FRONTIER FOR LEGAL POT

DENVER (AP) - The marijuana in those pot brownies isn't the only 
thing that can potentially make consumers sick. The industry and 
regulators are taking a closer look at how pot-infused edibles are made.

The thriving edible-marijuana industry in Colorado is preparing for 
new testing requirements - due to take effect in October - to make 
sure the products are safe to eat and drink.

While consuming too much of an edible has been connected to at least 
one death and a handful of hospital visits since retail recreational 
sales began in January, officials say there have been no reports of 
anyone getting a food-borne illness from edibles.

Still, activists, producers and officials agree that safety testing 
is long overdue for a sector of the new pot market that, according to 
one industry estimate, has seen the sale of at least 8 million pieces 
this year.

Food-safety testing is necessary "to building any sort of credibility 
for the industry ... to create that public confidence that we're not 
just a bunch of stupid kids throwing marijuana into cookies and 
putting them on the market," said Jazzmine Hall-Oldham, general 
manager of Bakked, which makes cannabis concentrates and pot-infused 
chocolate bars.

With federal help in regulating production nonexistent because the 
drug is illegal under federal law, state and local governments have 
had to assemble a patchwork of health and safety regulations for 
foods with cannabis.

The agency that regulates Colorado's marijuana industry, the state 
Department of Revenue, requires pot-manufacturing facilities to meet 
the same sanitation requirements as retail-food establishments, 
including adequate hand-washing and refrigeration.

But the question of whether the state's 51 licensed recreational 
edible-pot makers meet those standards is left to local health 
departments, said agency spokeswoman Natriece Bryant. State 
regulations requiring them also to pass tests for common food 
contaminants - such as E. coli and salmonella - don't take effect 
until the fall.

In Washington state, where retail sales are expected to begin the 
week of July 6, regulations call for samples of all marijuana sold 
for consumption to clear a "microbiological screening," whether it's 
in edible, smokable or concentrate form.

The state's Liquor Control Board has adopted limits for how many 
"colony forming units" of molds, bacteria and yeast are considered 
acceptable, with zero tolerance for any presence of salmonella or E. coli.

In Colorado, for now it's a case of buyer-beware when eating foods 
including cannabis.

In Denver, where most of Colorado's pot producers are located, health 
officials have been meeting with the businesses to explain new city 
requirements that edible marijuana-processing facilities get 
inspected at least twice a year, the same as restaurants.

Denver's manager for food-safety inspections, Danica Lee, showed 
about 50 industry workers examples of bad food-prep sanitation - 
bottles of bleach on the food-prep surface and improperly stored 
utensils - and warned that they could face steep fines or even lose 
their licenses if they fail repeated inspections.

"We're treating your industry like any other subset of the food 
industry," Lee told the edible pot makers.

Hall-Oldham and other processors at the meeting seemed to welcome 
stricter oversight. Josh Fink, a former pastry chef who owns 
Medically Correct, which makes cannabis-infused candies and protein 
bars, said most of the people who are getting into the edibles 
business don't have a food preparation background.

"They might know how to make four muffins at home but not 40,000 
muffins at a time. That's where the training comes in," Fink said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom