Pubdate: Thu, 21 Jan 2016
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2016 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Authors: David Migoya and Ricardo Baca

"PESTICIDE-FREE" POT IN LIEU OF "ORGANIC"

Consumers would know whether marijuana or hemp was grown without the 
use of pesticides under a bill proposed Wednesday in the legislature.

HB16-1079 would require the state Department of Agriculture to devise 
a program in which independent companies would certify which cannabis 
is pesticide-free, and it would require special labeling consumers can see.

Marijuana growers are forestalled from using the term "organic" for 
their product even if they use certifiable organic practices. That's 
because use of the term and the certification necessary to acquire it 
is controlled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Because cannabis 
remains illegal under federal law, no marijuana or hemp can be 
designated legally as organic.

"I'm all for a certification that ensures to consumers that the final 
product they've purchased truly is pesticide-free," said Devin Liles, 
head of cultivation at The Farm in Boulder.

The issue, however, is confusing organic with pesticide-free, Liles said.

"As (the bill) is written, it runs the risk of perpetuating the 
common misconception that organic is synonymous with pesticide-free," 
he said. "There are organic pesticides that are comprised of 
essential oils that are perfectly safe to use, not necessarily in 
(marijuana) flower development."

The bill, introduced by Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, and Rep. KC 
Becker, D-Boulder, would extend to pesticide-free facilities where 
cannabis is processed.

The Denver Post in September reported that state Attorney General 
Cynthia Hoffman's office was investigating marijuana business owners 
using the word "organic" in their name or advertising.

The concern was that consumers might be misled. No details of the 
ongoing inquiry have been released.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom