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Health Canada Implements Mandatory Pesticide Testing of Cannabis

06/01/2017

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Health Canada has announced that it will require licensed cannabis producers to conduct mandatory testing of all cannabis products destined for sale for the presence of unauthorized pesticides.

As reported in a past blog post, earlier this year Health Canada conducted unannounced inspections of licensed producers to assess whether unregistered pesticides were being used during the production of cannabis, in contravention of the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. It is as a result of those inspections that this additional testing requirement is being implemented. 

Licensed producers already test cannabis products for microbial and chemical contaminants (such as mould, heavy metals, and bacterial and fungal contamination).  Further detail on the implementation of this testing requirement and reporting of test results to Health Canada will apparently be provided in the coming weeks.

As of May 2, 2017 there are 17 registered pesticides approved for use on cannabis produced commercially indoors.

For more information on Health Canada’s announcement, see the following link:

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2017/05/statement_from_healthcanadaonmandatorytestingofmedicalcannabisfo.html

This publication is a general summary of the law. It does not replace legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances.