Martha Stewart Launches New Line Of CBD Products
Stewart’s move towards CBD products is on-brand with her demographic. Women are increasingly turning to CBD as a remedy for numerous conditions.
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In every state and country where cannabis is legal, there are a whole raft of regulations to ensure that each and every weed product is free from toxic pesticides, heavy metals, molds, and other contaminants. But what about common pot paraphernalia?
This summer, California cannabis testing facility SC Labs launched an investigation into the potential contamination of rolling paper products. The company began its investigation in July after a batch of pre-rolls tested positive for chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide. The testing lab already knew that the cannabis inside the pre-rolls had tested clean, so the obvious culprit was the rolling paper itself.
SC Labs tested 118 different rolling papers, blunt wrappers, cones, and other assorted smoking accessories bought on Amazon or at local head shops. Eleven percent of the papers tested by the company ended up failing tests for pesticides or heavy metals. Blunt wrappers and cellulose wrappers fared even worse: 8 out of 20 blunt wraps failed, as did all 3 cellulose papers that were tested.
To make matters worse, some of these products contained extremely high concentrations of contaminants. The worst offenders were the aLeda Cellulose Rolling Paper King Size, which contained 120 times California’s legal limit for lead and the King Palm Berry Terps blunt wrap, which contained 7 times the state’s legal limit for pesticides.
In all, the lab scanned for four different heavy metals, 66 pesticides, and 5 mycotoxins using gas and liquid chromatography machines. Out of 101 paper products tested, 91 showed traces of at least one heavy metal, although most were not high enough to exceed the state’s safety limits. One out of every five papers tested were found to contain trace amounts of pesticides, but only one in 20 contained enough to fail the state’s testing limits.
“Heavy metals look to be the bigger issue than pesticides,” Josh Wurzer, president of SC Labs, told Leafly. “Cellulose papers were the dirtiest,” Wurzer added, but noted that he planned to do a follow-up study because the initial test only looked at 3 types of cellulose papers.
Rolling papers and blunt wraps are made from plants, and like cannabis, these plants can absorb pesticides and other contaminants from their leaves or the soil. But unlike the cannabis or tobacco industries, regulations on these products are relatively relaxed.
“This is something that cannabis and paper manufacturers should be aware of,” said Wurzer to Leafly. “If those paper manufacturers are selling to people in the cannabis industry who use their papers then they need to pay more attention to their quality control.”
Many cannabis businesses have complained about the high cost of complying with the Golden State’s strict testing and safety regulations, but Wurzer believes that “California got it right with their regulations by having us test products in final form.” Other states only require weed businesses to test the individual elements that go into a product, which means that lead-contaminated pre-rolls could end up on the market even if the weed inside them tested clean.
Heavy metal and pesticide contamination has been an ongoing issue for the cannabis industry, and many states have issued recalls for products contaminated with lead, pesticides, or mold. The CBD industry also has its own quality control issues, with one recent study reporting that 70 percent of all CBD products tested positive for dangerous contaminants.
The Basics Of Wearing A Face Mask In A Restaurant
Going to restaurants remains a complicated process. Here’s how you can stay safe during the pandemic.
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Arrests for cannabis possession in Texas declined nearly 30 percent between 2018 and 2019, according to a newly released state report. Last year, Texas legalized hemp, and many observers believe that this positive reduction in pot busts is a direct result of that decision.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reported that in 2018 the state handled about 63,000 marijuana prosecutions. In 2019, possession arrests alone dropped to just 45,000, with actual prosecutions decreasing by more than half.
Although hemp is now legal in Texas, marijuana—hemp’s cousin that gets you high—most definitely is still very illegal.
But since hemp and marijuana appear identical, cops say it’s difficult to make possession arrests since they can’t tell which plant is which without a lab analysis. And that task isn’t getting any easier, as the DPS announced in February that state crime labs would no longer test suspected marijuana substances in misdemeanor cases.
These moves appear to be part of larger cannabis policy reforms throughout Texas. The cities of Austin, El Paso, and San Antonio have enacted major steps toward decriminalization this year, with each quickly yielding constructive, popular results.
“Local law enforcement, led by district and county attorneys, have made a big (and long overdue) shift away from the traditional ‘Tough on Crime’ mentality,” Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, told Marijuana Moment. “Instead, we’re adopting a ‘Smart on Crime’ approach, focusing on real threats rather than arresting and prosecuting those who use marijuana. Now it’s time to change state law and stop all arrests for marijuana possession in Texas.”
In 2019, the Texas House of Representatives voted 98-43 in favor of a bill that would reduce the penalty for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana to a $500 maximum fine and no jail time. The bill has since been held up in the Senate by various pro-prohibition Republicans.
According to a poll conducted all the way back in 2017—well before these new measures were put into place—83 percent of Texans favored cannabis policy reform, with 53 percent in favor of legalization. Just 17 percent said they’d prefer to keep throwing people in jail for possessing plants.
Come on, Texas—finish the job and give the people what they want. It’s beyond high time to legalize weed in the Lone Star State!
How Likely Is Mississippi To Legalize Medical Marijuana This Election?
Mississippi may be among the states to legalize medical cannabis this election, according to a recent poll.
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8 Things To Know Before Using Cannabis Topicals
Using infused lotions, creams, salves and oils goes more than skin deep.
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To ask Montanans about marijuana legalization, Leafly’s writer road-tripped with Pepper and Ted. “We are gonna get wreckt towards an artistic and political purpose.”
The post Cannabis cowboys: A 900-mile trip with Montana’s marijuana legalization campaign appeared first on Leafly.
California has a legal cannabis space, but it hasn’t knocked out the illicit market. It’s still active—and dangerous.
Diligent and reliable testing is the key to replicating the best cannabis products over and over.
The post The importance of quality control when building a sustainable cannabis company appeared first on Leafly.
Now that colleges and universities are back in session all over the country, it’s natural for the topic of marijuana and its effects on studying to surface.
The post Can Marijuana Help You Study? appeared first on The Fresh Toast.