What does the Research say is a Safe Amount of Arsenic in Your Cannabis?
By: Joe Ori
Tags: Wellness, Government, Health, Marijuana, Cannabis

Arsenic. Lead. Mercury. Bacterial fungus. Mold. Pesticides. How much of these harmful elements are considered “safe” for cannabis consumption?

If you’re like me, you’d assume these decisions are based on science. Science, research and testing. They’re not.

Go on the Michigan cannabis testing site and you’ll see all sorts of hard numbers as to what levels of certain elements are permitted in “safe” cannabis. Those levels were determined by lobbyists, not by scientists.

There’s a Catch-22 happening nationally right now, a conversation state legislators and cannabis cultivators are having throughout the country.

We don’t have enough research to begin comprehending the effectiveness of cannabis when combined with any of the above mentioned elements. That’s part of the problem with an unregulated market. But, research is restricted because cannabis is currently considered a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substance Act. Studies on heavy metals contamination in cannabis, and direct studies on the health effects of such contaminants from cannabis, are currently lacking.

That means states that have legalized cannabis need to make more of an effort to research and test.

Maybe it’s the lawyer in me, but I come from the perspective that you need to make informed decisions. Simply stated, we need to do more research. In no state is this more necessary than Michigan.

Here’s why.

Let’s start with the facts: recent reports indicate that up to 70% of all cannabis grown in Michigan gets rejected by the state’s licensed testing labs (due to traces of harmful levels of mold, pesticides or heavy metals). That means only 30% of cannabis in the state of Michigan (for both medical and recreational) can be sold to consumers.

Here are some more numbers: within the first month of selling both medical and recreational cannabis, the state topped $8.2 million in sales and $1.3 million in taxes.

I’m not a mathematician or an accountant, but if the state is generating $1.3 million in taxes per month on 30% of cannabis products that meet the standards… You can do the simple math to understand that we could and should be generating more revenue.

Without research and testing to backup the arbitrary levels that currently lead to the mass of rejections, Michigan will never get to that point.

It’s simple economics.

So, what needs to happen to reach this level of research and testing?

To get the money, invest the money. The state needs to put more money into this cause. Currently, the taxes collected from Michigan cannabis sales go to two places. Sales tax goes to the general Michigan fund, and the excise tax goes to researching the impact medical marijuana can have in preventing veteran suicide and PTSD.

Let’s give Michigan props on that. Was it probably necessary to include in the bill in order for it to pass? Sure, but I haven’t seen any other examples of this. For reference, Illinois excise taxes go to their general fund, and Colorado excise taxes go to public school construction. Michigan is very progressive, in this regard.

That said, the first $20 million collected in excise taxes is going to the US veterans research, which local officials expect to take about two years to amass. Are we expected to wait until that $20 million is recouped to start testing and researching?

With only about 30% of Michigan-grown cannabis usable for consumption, what does it matter if we research the medical effects for veterans if there is hardly enough cannabis supply for the demand?

Think about all the veterans, and others, who could benefit from cannabis even more if there was a much greater supply available.

If Michigan dedicated even a portion of these excise taxes to improvements in testing, standards and regulations, the cannabis market could drastically improve and revenue would exponentially grow.

So… Arsenic. Lead. Mercury. Bacterial fungus. Mold. Pesticides. How much of these harmful elements are considered “safe” for cannabis consumption?

It’s about time we figure it out. Scientifically.