Because marijuana is not considered a food it is not regulated by the FDA. Some studies have found 1600 times as much pesticide residue on marijuana than would be legal on food. Some of the pesticides are meant for the lawn and not for human consumption.
These pesticides can cause health problems for individuals with a weakened immune system. It also can cause kidney diseases. Neurotoxins (nerve poisons) are commonly used in pesticides and can cause nerve and brain damage. Mold in marijuana can cause allergic
reaction. For many years marijuana was considered a health risk but the real health risk may be the chemicals used on marijuana..
A study by University of California Davis & the Us Forest Service noted that fishers ( a animal similar to the european polecat) have been killed by Poisons. They believe that the fishers were killed by rat poison used by illegal marijuana growers in a rugged portion of the southern Sierra Nevada.
The findings concern scientists because the fisher is a candidate for listing under federal, Oregon and California endangered species acts, and is considered a sensitive species in the western United States by the U.S. Forest Service. In this study, scientists reported on the amount of poisons found at over 300 illegal plots and compared the locations of these sites with the home ranges and of 46 adult female fishers.
This new threat may also impact other species already facing declining populations, including the wolverine, marten, great gray owl, California spotted owl and Sierra Nevada red fox, which may also be exposed to the poisons, the researchers said.
Many States where marijuana is legal are drafting laws to regulate pesticide use in marijuana growing. The use of pesticides not only affects the health of people it also affects the health of our wildlife.
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