Two weeks ago, the Colorado departments of Agriculture and Public Health and Environment and the Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division released a public health advisory that declared certain products from MMJ Downtown, the dispensary chain MMJ America’s Denver location, were found to contain a banned pesticide called diuron.
There is varying research on the effects of diuron, but it is known to potentially cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, in addition to a number of harmful environmental effects. You can find out information on exactly which products have been recalled and more on Westword.com.
Though it is rare for dispensaries to have such problems considering the strict regulations for products sold under state-licensing, pesticide contamination is still a very real problem for black and grey market products being sold across the U.S., especially in pre-filled cartridges.
There is no real way to tell if a vape cartridge is authentic or not, which poses a great risk to anyone buying their product secondhand. Lab testing is the only way to determine the exact contents of the cartridge, which means you can’t know if you’re getting the THC concentration you’re paying for, and more importantly, you have no way to know what unwanted substances like pesticides the distillate may contain.
Tests have found popular fake brands and counterfeit cartridges such as Dank Vapes, Mario Carts, King Pen and Brass Knuckles to contain highly concentrated levels various pesticides. People have experienced chest pains and shortness of breath as a result of smoking the cartridges, and because of the high concentration, the long-term effects can be fatal.
Bottom line: Though I do understand it isn’t an option for everyone for varying reasons, buying your carts directly from a licensed dispensary will always be the best way to ensure you’re not unknowingly ingesting dangerous pesticides. While slip-ups like MMJ America’s do happen, it’s likely that your dealer won’t be sending you any health advisory warnings.
