Pesticides & Cannabis | PSA

The safe cultivation of marijuana for consumption is a murky pool to wade through. Marijuana is illegal at the federal level, and thus the EPA is unable to issue guidelines or regulations regarding pesticides and fertilizers that are safe to use.

It would be assumed that marijuana farmers would utilize pesticides deemed safe for food crops. This would be a logical association, but we are forgetting that these pesticides were deemed safe for ingestion, not inhalation.

“…nobody is smoking zinnias, so the safety hasn’t been established for those uses.” – Janna Beckerman, professor of botany and plant pathology at Purdue University [1]

If you were to google ‘pesticides and marijuana’, you would find a plethora of articles and websites. The information is endless, but it’s hard to verify and substantiate.

The disconnect of federal government and the legalization of marijuana is not only inconvenient, but dangerous.

Consumers living in states where marijuana is legal are purchasing and using the plant under the assurance and assumption that it’s safe. It’s legal so it must be regulated…right?

“…the federal government still considers cannabis an illegal drug, the EPA has not approved any pesticides for use on the plant, nor has the agency provided any indication of the level of residues on cannabis products—if any—that could be considered safe…” [2]

Many states have compiled their own lists of pesticides that are safe to use, but without the ‘green light’ from federal government the funding and extensive studies have yet to be performed. For example: Colorado has a list and even offers a sign-up function to be notified of modifications to the list:

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/agplants/pesticide-use-cannabis-production-information.

The documentation of pesticide use is addressed through the states that have legalized marijuana for sale. Marijuana must be tracked from seed to sale, and stringent records must be kept. This will only assist the process of validating and approving pesticides when they finally do go legal nationwide.

ioSafe data storage products are the best brand manufacturer of virtual cloud data to physical endpoint files and complete systems that process, store and archive data and electronic records for Illinois Dispensary and retail marijuana shops.

 

When you’re ready to begin the process of securing your business (cannabis or otherwise), the consultants at KL Security are available to assist. Well versed in government regulations and recent legal mandates, we are prepared to ensure your business will pass requirements.

TOLL FREE 1-866-867-0306

[email protected]

DEA Rules, security requirements, and regulations per the Code of Federal Regulations 21CFR1301.72https://www.klsecurity.com/products/medical-marijuana-dea-storage.html

Information has been gathered from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice.

 

Sources & Links

 

[1] Schiller, Melissa. (2019, January 9). Cannabis Business Times. Purdue Researchers Tackle Cannabis Industry’s Pesticide Problem. Retrieved from:

https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/purdue-researchers-cannabis-pesticide-problem/

[2]

https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP5265

EPA Pesticide Worker Safety

https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/requirements-pesticide-storage

National Pesticide Information Center

http://npic.orst.edu/health/storage.html

 

How High-End Dispensaries & Large-Scale Growers Drive Profits & Gain Competitive Advantages

Integrating Security Requirements, Video Surveillance & Data

As competition in the cannabis and marijuana markets increases, the keys to long term success for any cannabusiness point to operational efficiency, quality assurance, customer service, regulatory compliance and market penetration. With proper planning, the consultants and advisors at KL Security are setting the new standards for cannabis facility design and security by integrating security standards, data and video that results in greater business success. Leading cannabis facilities start with this end goal during security planning.

Track product at your cultivation facility – RFID combined with video can tell you the last time a plant or cannabis product was seen

Top 4 Challenges a Cannabusiness faces to meet state-mandated requirements for surveillance:

  • – Camera types and placements
  • – Resolution and frame rates
  • – Retention periods and off-site storage
  • – RFID tag verification

 

How Video & Data Help Cannabusinesses at any level:

 In Cultivation Facilities

  • Tracking automation and a visual record of each plant’s location
  • How a plant may have been removed or misplaced and who was involved
  • Reveal where more staff training is required (improve operations & success)
  • Seamlessly share video and RFID data evidence with law enforcement

    Reduce your security risk, keep drivers safe, and maintain regulatory compliance for your state or municipality
  • Combined with access control systems, modular vaults, restricted access areas and storage rooms or cages, automated reports with video snapshots can show operators when shifts aren’t starting as scheduled, or find out why one product is taking longer to dry in one cultivation facility compared to the rest

Cannabis In Transit & Secure Transportation Services

  • View marijuana inventory as it’s loaded at the cultivation facility, as it is being transported, and as it is being unloaded at the retail dispensary locations
  • Integrate video with vehicle data, such as a GPS location or speed, to see information on the transport route from start to finish. This can provide proof that a vehicle has not accidentally crossed into a U.S. state where cannabis sale is still illegal

 At the Retail Dispensary

  • Video integrated with POS data can help dispensary operators cut losses by setting up alerts triggered by suspect transactions, such as voids over a set amount
  • Run searches across multiple dispensary locations simultaneously
  • Using video and analytics like people counting, queue length or dwell time, operators can see how long customers waited in line, of they spent more time in front of a certain promotional display, or if they left the dispensary without making a purchase

    Gather valuable metrics on operations and customer service

 

 

Tracking and Security of Cannabis Plants and Products through the Supply Chain to Retail Dispensary

 

How Business Analytics become Competitive Advantages

With a full view of the retail dispensary, it’s easier for companies to discover  customer trends that can be turned into higher profits, repeat business and brand loyalty.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

  • See how many customers are in your store at any given time.
  • Determine conversion rates of walk-in traffic.
  • Identify the average number of people waiting in a line or queue, and average amount of time they waited.
  • Learn how long people dwell in a particular area of your dispensary such as display counters or in-store online order systems.
  • Establish KPIs, based on factors like:

— Which store turns more shoppers into buyers if you have multiple retail dispensaries

— The time or day that most people are waiting in line, and for how long (to measure customer service and implement staffing changes). Such as happy hours, Friday afternoon or evening, payday, start of the weekend and other key times of the week.

— The success of a particular end-cap or promotion that may be in effect through advertising campaigns or POS integrations with Weedmaps, Leafly, Wikileaf, Baker, springbig and others.

  • Export business analytics data to an Excel file to incorporate into your own charts and reports or CRM systems.

To learn more about standards for cannabis facility design and security, call 866-867-0306 today