Colorado Adds to List of Acceptable Cannabis Pesticides

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has further expanded its list of pesticides approved for use on cannabis crops.

Since the start of May this year, the state department has added nine pesticide products to the list, which now exceeds 400 compounds.

The new pesticides include:

• The fungicides Stargus and concentrated Regalia Biofungicide, both produced by Marrone Bio Innovations
• The fungicide Obtego, produced by the SePRO corporation
• The plant growth regulator Onward, produced by AgXplore International
• The fungicide Howler Lawn and Garden Organic Fungicide, produced by AgBiome Innovations
• The insecticide Gemstar LC and the fungicide Carb-O-Nator, both made by Certis USA
• The fungicide General Hydroponics Defguard Biofungicide, produced by General Hydroponics
• The insecticide BioCeres WP, made by Anatis Bioprotection

Following review from the state’s CDA, the pesticides were deemed safe to use in accordance with Colorado’s Pesticide Applicators’ Act.

Part of this review process included whether a pesticide’s active ingredient had already been approved for use on tobacco.

As John Scott, pesticides program manager and section chief at the CDA, explained to Cannabis Business Times in March of this year, “That way, we know that the active ingredient has at some point gone through a pyrolysis study or a risk assessment for it to be heated up in the process of smoking.”

If applicators misuse pesticide products, the Pesticide Applicators’ Act allows Colorado’s CDA to issue a $1,000 fine for each violation. This fine can be doubled for second offenses.