Keeping Yourself Safe & Sourcing Clean Cannabis
Today, I’m writing a post that I’ve been intending to write for a while now. Because the topic of clean cannabis, regulated testing, and keeping people safe in the existing cannabis market - this topic is on people’s tongues these days.
As it should be. Cannabis is a medicine, and yet the way that cannabis production has played out in years past leaves a lot to be desired in the way of public health and public safety. As I will highlight in this article, there are many cannabis products on the market today that have not been grown or produced by quality-conscious manufacturers. This puts a burden and risk on today’s cannabis consumers and, I would argue, misuses the original spirit of the cannabis plant.
You are probably turning to cannabis because you want to improve your health - and not risk your health along the way! So, how to proceed? Continue to read for insight into how to keep yourself safe and source clean cannabis.
The Gap
As a cannabis coach, I have devoted my career to help people understand the cannabis plant so that they can take control of their health and step toward a better life. But there are some things to keep in mind along this journey in order to keep yourself safe.
Unfortunately, cannabis isn't regulated in a well-functioning system at the moment. This is all pretty much a downstream effect of the fact that cannabis was prohibited for almost a hundred years. Now it's sticky and we're slowly working ourselves out of the old frame - and towards a frame that serves people better. We're in this unique moment right now, between federal cannabis prohibition and federal cannabis legalization.
So… what does this grey area look like? Let me tell you, it’s a little murky. Right now, we have a patchwork of state-by-state laws has been laid over all of cannabis regulation in the United States. And it's a complicated CF - with real implications. The complexity of laws and regulations overseeing cannabis use today gets in the way of patient’s ability to source clean medicine and take care of themselves.
Even for someone like me, someone who's been in the space for multiple years and works hard to stay informed about cannabis policy, it's incredibly complicated. I have to check in with friends and colleagues that live near me to clarify laws all the time.
Among many other consequences of this crazy patchwork of state-by-state laws, including access issues, price variability, and supply and demand problems (because we've got 40-something state-by-state economies here instead of one general American cannabis economy), one of the biggest implications is that oftentimes, the cannabis we smoke is not clean.
What does that mean - not clean? This means that some cannabis has been grown with unhealthy pesticides. It's been grown in soil that's laden with heavy metals or simply just soil that doesn't have very many nutrients to begin with. This gap means that currently, some unaware consumers could be consuming cannabis with dangerous toxin levels.
We need to act fast and rectify this gap in order to keep people safe. In the meantime, consumers need to keep their eyes and ears open and make a conscious commitment to sourcing clean cannabis.
Issues with Labeling Accuracy
Labeling is another area in cannabis that is not as well regulated as it should be. There are products out there where it will report one thing on the label - reporting, say, 35% THC - but when they do lab testing on it, it shows us that those results were not even accurate. Unfortunately, because of where we are right now from a policy standpoint, there is no government body doing a good job certifying that what's on product shelves is clean and safe for consumption and that labels are accurate.
As a cannabis coach, this really grinds my gears because I'm all about helping people understand this plant so they can use it, incorporate it into their lives, and step forward toward better living. But unfortunately, as we're stepping toward better health through a cannabis journey, we also have to do our due diligence to make sure that what we're sourcing and putting into our bodies is safe - and what we think it is.
Why Are We Here?
You might be asking, how could it be like this? I ask myself that every day.
But I think one of the key things here is that, although cannabis is a plant that can take really amazing care of people, the people in charge of regulation are focused more on the profit-generating capabilities of cannabis instead of propping up the value the plant can bring to people.
I think as we move forward, we need to shift from a focus on profit to a focus on people - in all sectors of the cannabis space.
When it comes to quality cannabis testing and regulation, there is a huge gap area. I really hope that in the future, our regulators can start focusing on this as a key concern and start putting regulations in place that make sense, are not necessarily overtaxing to cannabis and CBD businesses, but are effectively established to keep people safe.
Until this is done, it is up to you - the consumer - to make sure that you're keeping yourself safe. Talk to the people in your area that use CBD and cannabis and have done a little bit of this homework. From there, we can all start to share best practices at the community level.
What You Can Do
What are the things you can do to make sure that the cannabis you bring home and consume is clean and safe? There's not one set way to do this, but I'm going to lay out a few of the considerations to keep in mind.
First of all, look out for testing results. Luckily, there are quality-conscious suppliers out there who are growing clean cannabis on purpose and being very transparent about the testing that they run their products through before they put it out on the market.
Many companies ensure that their cannabis is tested by a third-party tester* and then issue what's called a COA (certificate of analysis). The COA is a batch-by-batch look at what's been grown and will outline key information about the makeup of the product, ie: cannabinoid content and terpene profile. The COA may also report information about whether or not the cannabis was grown with clean growing practices, including pesticide and heavy metal readings. The COA, when provided, contains all kinds of key information that you need to confirm that your medicine has been grown by a quality-conscious manufacturer.
*When you look at a testing report, make sure it’s been measured by a third-party lab testing facility. Unfortunately, people may lie about their own test results and so third-party oversight is invaluable.
After doing this homework and reviewing a brand’s testing results for yourself, you will likely be in a place where you feel more comfortable moving forward with that particular supplier.
HOWEVER. Not all farms and companies provide testing results for their products. So, if you encounter this lack in your search for testing - a supplier who has no testing to share - well, then, it may be time to look toward a different farm/producer.
Ongoing Burden & Risk on the Consumer
Let’s get real… the average consumer doesn't have a lot of time to engage in all of this higher-level homework, look at vendors' websites, and ask for COAs when they're at the point of purchase. I really think there’s some innovation and thought leadership required to move us toward a system that is easily managed by the government, not super restrictive in the way of access, but also puts effective regulations in place to keep cannabis consumers and patients safe.
There's a number of ways this could look, but I did want to share something that some colleagues and I have been discussing ~
✨ because, in this crazy shifting & shifty world, it’s important to not only identify the problems - but also propose solutions! ✨
What if we had a QR code on every single product in the regulated cannabis market? And then, upon snapping a picture with their Smartphone, any consumer would have access to a standardized testing report. From here, they could gain insight into the product’s cannabinoid profile, terpene profile, and an indication of what pesticides were used (if any) as well as a heavy metal reading. AND, there’s some sort of check to ensure that the reporting wasn’t generated by a lab that could be paid off. Because, yes - there have been testing labs that have been busted for exaggerating results for a payoff; it’s gross, but… absolute power corrupts absolutely.
And, I believe that this QR code and standardized testing report access would be beneficial to customers and patients who may have trouble seeing the small label printing that is usually on products today. If people cannot read the information presented to them, then they are not able to be properly informed about what they are consuming.
This is all possible. We can move towards something like this. But just know that until we do, there may be an extra layer of action that you need to take on to keep yourself safe and toxin-free.
Conscious Consumerism
Beyond asking for testing, doing your homework, and verifying the cleanliness of your cannabis, there are conceptual things you can do to move this conversation forward. And that's to embody the spirit of a conscious consumer.
There's a lot of different ways to pull this off. But one is to put pressure on the powers that be to start to change things. Think about what happened in the food space, in terms of organics. Organic food options are widely available now, although they didn’t use to be. This was because consumers put pressure on food manufacturers to make sure that the food moved more toward organic and health-conscious options. That's why we see them on the market today.
Similarly, we can influence the conversation in cannabis. All of us who consume cannabis and buy it on a regular basis - we can positively influence the conversation by increasing customer demand for testing. When you don't find testing, ask vendors/farms/retailers for it. Be kind, but put a bug in someone's ear.
Plant the seed that if they don't have testing accessibility in place right now, they should probably work to rectify that gap. Because you're not going to be the last customer that asks for testing.
There's an element of additional work here, but if you have the bandwidth for it, you can really play a role in moving the cannabis industry to a safer and cleaner spot.
You can also talk to your legislators. Here in Washington state, we're one of the first states that legalized cannabis. And yet we still have a code of laws that doesn't make any sense. So do what you can to get active in that space. You can find a trade association that is perhaps working with legislators. You can also call up your representatives tomorrow on the telephone. Whatever's going to create those connection points for you to be able to tell people, "Hey, this is really important to me. I think it's ridiculous that we don't have clean cannabis on shelves. Can you help figure this out?" Put it on their radar.
When we do that collectively, then we will start to see some traction here. In the meantime, as I said, do your homework to keep yourself safe. And, when in doubt, reach out for professional guidance or some assistance and anecdotal information from friends and family.
Spotlight: Washington Bud Company
If you know my work, you know that I’m all about celebrating the positive and maintaining high vibrations! And I believe strongly in positive reinforcement. With that, I wanted to spotlight one of the farms that I know to be doing this right: Washington Bud Company, operating out of Washington State.
When it comes to addressing the testing gap, it’s up to everyone to get smart and take action: regulators, citizens, and brands alike. So, I just wanted to say KUDOS to Washington Bud Co. for being one of those quality-conscious cannabis producers.
For more on what Washington Bud Co is doing to provide clean cannabis to their customer base, visit their comments on transparent testing here.
The Spirit of Cannabis
This cannabis plant is here because it wants to help us take care of ourselves. And yet, we have unfortunately misused this energy and intention in many of the manifestations of the current cannabis marketplace. We have started to grow this plant using chemicals that shouldn't be sprayed on it and in soil that is not well-suited to growing safe cannabis.
We need to effectively address these challenges and restore access to clean cannabis to customers and patients everywhere. Because this is about keeping people well. Do what you can to keep yourself well… and keep advocating for the change you want to see tomorrow.
That's what I have for you today. I'm certainly not an expert when it comes to testing and lab standards and regulation, but I am someone who has been observing this issue for several years at this point. My takeaway? We can do better.
I'd love to hear what you think - drop a comment below and let’s start a constructive conversation about moving testing in the right direction!