A recent study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research has revealed the extent of pesticide presence in illegal and legal cannabis in Canada.
In "High levels of pesticides found in illicit cannabis inflorescence compared to licensed samples in Canadian study using expanded 327 pesticides multiresidue method", researchers compared 36 samples of cannabis from licensed dispensaries and 24 from an illegal trade (which was seized by law enforcement and submitted to Health Canada for laboratory testing in 2021).
The researchers looked for traces of 327 different pesticides in the samples and found that many of the illegal cannabis samples contained harmful chemicals.
"Pesticides were detected in 92% of Canadian illegal cannabis inflorescence samples, with 23 unique pesticide active ingredients quantified," the study explains. "Four pesticides and synergists: myclobutanil, paclobutrazol, piperonyl butoxide and pyrethrins, were detected at high sampling frequencies, ranging from eight to 17 times in a total of 24 illicit samples."
They also noted that one illegal sample contained nine pesticide ingredients, but that on average, illegal samples contained 3.7 different pesticides, with 87% containing more than one pesticide.
The researchers provided a table showing which pesticides were found in legal and illegal samples. Only 6% of legal samples tested positive for pesticides, including only dichlobenil and myclobutanil.
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