Riverside County is empowering cultivators by teaming up with the state to provide training on pesticides, including
Pesticides have become a hot-button issue in the marijuana industry, especially over the past few months. As of July 1, the transition period in which licensing authorities did not enforce certain regulatory provisions was no longer in effect. As our experienced attorneys can explain, mandatory laboratory testing was among those regulations that would be enforced. This has meant any cultivators not in compliance with pesticide use are now flagged during testing and their product is not able to make it to market. Even before July 1, pesticides were regularly in the news, with some unlicensed cultivators using toxic pesticides that have been killing off wildlife. Such behavior has had devastating effects on local ecosystems and given responsible cultivators a bad name.
Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act appoints the Department of Pesticide Regulation as the authority on matters of maximum tolerances for pesticides, residue on harvested cannabis, applications, and types of pesticides permitted. Per MAUCRSA, Sec. 41, 26060 (d-g), Department of Food and Agriculture is to be consulted on how guidelines specific to the cannabis industry are set, though cultivators must also follow certain rules already in place, such as prohibition of certain pesticides in the state.
It’s clear to anyone close to the matter that education is the key to everything about the cannabis industry. Through the power of information, scientists have discovered medical breakthroughs involving marijuana. Researchers have gotten a better grasp on the effects of ingesting different doses of cannabis in different ways. This has led to better results for medical patients as well a better understanding for how to safely consume recreational marijuana. Now that experts are learning more about other aspects of the marijuana industry, pesticides and their health and environmental impact are no different. Topics covered in the training include operator identification numbers, pesticide use reporting, private applicator certificates, employer requirements, worker health and safety, and understanding pesticide labels.
In Riverside County, nine cities currently permit both recreational and medical commercial grow operations: Blythe, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Lake Elsinore, Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and San Jacinto. Perris allows commercial grows, but only for medical marijuana.
As our Riverside marijuana cultivation lawyers know, pesticides are just one part of a more complicated web of regulations and guidelines necessary for cultivators to operate in compliance. Cultivators must be in compliance with waste disposal regulations, including pesticides, herbicides, irrigation runoff, soil disposal, erosion control, drainage features, chemicals, etc. They must use weighing and measuring devices that meet strict standards. Indoor grows must follow numerous building regulations. Even matters of water supply are under tight scrutiny, such as water suppliers, water diversion, irrigation, groundwater extraction, water discharge, with oversight coming from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and State Water Resources Control Board. Our skilled lawyers can guide your cultivation business through all of these issues and much more.
The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.
Additional Resources:
What Are the Marijuana Laws in Your California City?, Jan. 3, 2018, Orange County Register
More Blog Entries:
Cannabis Cultivators Scouring Legal Ways to Grow, Feb. 4, 2017, Cannabis Law Group