California struggles to keep pesticides out of weed

Among 80 cannabis brands included in more than 500 pesticide tests. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend: New tests find hidden pesticides are in California cannabis products More than half of cannabis smoking products in California’s legal market contain chemicals that are not being monitored for public safety, my colleague Paige St. John reports in a new Times investigation that looked at hundreds of product tests and industry surveys. The investigation raises significant questions about health threats to consumers and the state’s ability to monitor cannabis products, issues that have emerged as California’s $5-billion legal cannabis market struggles to overcome a resilient black market and growing competition from other states. Tests of more than 370 legal cannabis products identified the presence of 45 pesticides that California does not track in cannabis California does not mandate testing for pymetrozine and many other pesticides. Paige’s investigation, which drew from tests done independently for The Times and others that came from a private market survey, checked for more than 290 pesticides beyond the ones required by the state.