Hydrolife Magazine April/May 2017 (Canada Edition)

grow
“
we are only beginning to collect meaningful
data about the risks and concerns of control
products utilized during production.”
Chemical pesticides have benefits
as they act quickly and can reduce or
completely eliminate an invading pest.
Unfortunately for Canadian producers,
these are not approved for use in
cannabis crops.
Recently, the pesticide myclobutanil
has been in the news related to cannabis
recalls in Canada. Myclobutanil
is a common chemical used to
eliminate powdery mildew on plants.
It is interesting to know that this is
acceptable for use on edible crops, but it
is not approved for use in tobacco in the
US and Canada. It is also not approved
for use in cannabis in Canada.
Myclobutanil is a good example of pest
control and science not being applied
in equal measure. This pesticide works
by blocking an enzyme in fungal cells;
this impacts the way the fungal cell
membrane is built and maintained
leading to cell death. It is a systemic
pesticide, which means that it enters
the plant through the leaves and then
spreads internally through the plant to
provide protection to the whole plant
and not just at the site of application.
Since this pesticide is carried inside
the plant, it cannot be washed off.
While its levels decrease over time, the
frequency that it has been applied to
the crop will impact the final amount
left in the plant at harvest.
Also concerning is that the pesticide
is soluble in common solvents used in
production of cannabis oil, which means
as the cannabis oil is being concentrated,
the pesticide is being concentrated too.
At temperatures above 205°C, the pesticide
breaks down into a number of byproducts,
one of which is hydrogen cyanide.
This byproduct is dangerous because it is
known to cause problems in most of the
major systems in the body—the brain, the
lungs, heart, and hormone control centre.
Overall, myclobutanil is a terrible
choice for pest control in cannabis. While
it is effective against powdery mildew,
it has a high cost of use for the patients
who are exposed to products treated with
it. This is one clear example of a common
pesticide used in one industry being
adopted by a different industry without
consideration given to the way the crop
is processed or consumed.
In response to the recent product
recalls, Health Canada has committed
to random testing of products for
pesticides to provide a level of
assurance to the patients in Canada.
In March, the Cannabis Canada
Association, which represents
15 licensed producers, voted to
implement mandatory product testing
for its members. It also called for
these results to be made public. For
personal growers, the use of pesticide
products is not regulated by the
federal government, so the bottom
line is to be diligent, know what you
are applying to your plants, and know
what the potential impact is to you
as a grower and you as a patient. You
can’t see pesticides or the residues,
but a good test lab will have sensitive
equipment that will detect the
presence of pesticides.
Jodi McDonald is the president and
founder of Keystone Labs and is a
medical microbiologist, inventor, and
super science-geek. She has 20 years’
experience in the quality control,
regulatory, and quality assurance
environment for the pharmaceutical
industry. Jodi believes testing is essential
for taking control of your personal health.
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grow. heal. live. enjoy.
myhydrolife.ca