California’s testing requirements for cannabis products contain major gaps. To understand what’s being missed and what consumers are exposed to, the Los Angeles Times bought more than 150 products from licensed stores, as well as from tobacco shops and illicit vendors, and had them tested at three state-licensed labs, Anresco Laboratories, SC Labs and Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs.
Those tests were conducted without the labs knowing what brand they tested.
Where available, the tests included expanded screening for more than 290 pesticides and checks for other hazardous materials, such as vitamin E acetate or synthetic cannabinoids.
The Times also obtained data from private market tests conducted on behalf of vape manufacturer Raw Garden and the March and Ash dispensary chain as well as participating labs.
Lab test results
Private lab tests show frequent pesticide contamination in cannabis, as well as the presence of synthetic THC and harmful dilution oils ●. Most products listed are vapes bought on the legal market. Pre-rolls, edibles and products bought outside legal venues are noted. Findings are based on California residue limits, including zero-tolerance chemicals. Where no state limit exists (off-list), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency threshold for evaluating pesticides on tobacco is used. For more detail about a product, click the finding icon.
*Analysis limited to 66 pesticides on California’s mandatory screening list
Products listed more than once were tested multiple times, or by different labs. Tests initiated by The Times were conducted blind. Anresco Laboratories and Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs provided additional data from independent shelf tests.
Anresco Laboratories, SC Labs, Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Pesticides pose a particular threat in inhaled cannabis products such as vapes or prerolls, because toxicants enter the lungs and travel through the bloodstream to internal organs, including the brain. In addition, heat from combustion causes some pesticides to degrade into harmful gases such as hydrogen cyanide.
In small concentrations, the risks from one-time use are minimal, but increase with repeated exposure over time.
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