It would be pointless to make mistakes or make yourself sick while cultivating marijuana as if there were no rigorous controls at an approved professional cultivation facility. On rare occasions, marijuana products might be contaminated, and their health benefits might turn to be health hazards.
For this reason, you should buy marijuana products from licensed dispensaries and also avoid growing your own marijuana if you do not know what you are doing. This will minimize the risks of consuming contaminated cannabis.
Discussed below are some of the contaminants that can be found in untested marijuana products.
- Mold
Marijuana, which is ready to be consumed, should never feel damp, wet, or gooey. If your cannabis is wet or squishy, it must be holding water, which is an issue as it can be a breeding ground for mold, as mold grows in moist places.
Botrytis cinerea is a type of fungus that causes marijuana buds to rot. Although it is not toxic, in some cases, it can lead to a respiratory allergic reaction known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis, which causes inflammation of the alveoli. Even if it is rare, hypersensitivity pneumonitis can be severe. And common symptoms are coughing, fever, and labored breathing.
- Heavy Metals Found in the Soil
These include cadmium, arsenic, lead, mercury, and uranium. The presence of minerals in the soil depends on the location; therefore, farmers should survey their land before cultivating marijuana because marijuana roots can suck up and retain the heavy metals as well as other chemical contaminants. A study conducted in 2002 and published in Industrial Crops and Products found that the highest concentration of the minerals was accumulated in the leaves, seeds, and fibers.
- Pathogens
These are bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms that cause illness, and they include rhinovirus and coronavirus.
A report released by the Cannabis Safety Institute stated that pathogen bacteria could not be associated with living marijuana plants because living marijuana plants do not support a high concentration of bacteria growth. The report also noted that pathogenic bacteria that are extremely resistant to drying could survive on marijuana and eventually be transferred to humans through marijuana consumption.
Salmonella is the pathogenic bacteria that can survive when marijuana is dried, and it is transferred to people through inhalation. It causes severe fevers and fatigue, and it is not easily diagnosed.
Other types of pathogens include Aspergillus, which is found in both indoor and outdoor environments. It can cause harmful lung infections. E-coli is another type of bacteria that is found in poop and contaminates everything that comes into contact with poop. It can cause diarrhea and lung infections.
- Pesticides
Pesticides are a double-edged sword because they make cultivation of commercial marijuana possible, but they can also be harmful if the products retain too much of it. For instance, in October, Oregon called back two batches of cannabis (Dr. Jack, batch no. G6J0051-02, and Marionberry, batch no. G6J0051-01) because it was found that they had high pesticides residuals known as spinosad after they were tested.
Spinosad causes irritation and redness if it comes into contact with your skin or eyes.
- Controlled Substances
Marijuana products found on the black market may be laced with illicit substances such as phencyclidine or opiates. This is done to trick consumers into thinking they are buying high-quality marijuana. And this can create dependence in their buyers since they are not aware that the products are infused with other addictive drugs.
To reduce the risk of buying contaminated marijuana products, make sure that you are purchasing only from registered marijuana dispensaries. Experts think that this need for care could explain why cannabis companies like Willow Biosciences Inc. (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQB: CANSF) encourage consumers to read third-party lab reports before purchasing any marijuana product.
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