Industry growth could be hampered by the presence of pesticides
As cannabis and marijuana use continues to receive positive recognition around the country, the quality of the products is going to be a subject of much debate. There has already been some discussion on the topic, as evidenced by a report written in by Beyond Pesticides in 2014. There is now a resurgence on the subject of pesticides found in marijuana and this could have lasting implications for the entire industry.
A recent study conducted in California revealed that 84% of the crops tested in 2016 were found to contain residual pesticides. Additionally, other, more recent studies have shown that 20% of the harvests don’t meet current guidelines in the state that relate to pesticides or processing chemicals and fail to meet labeling requirements.
According to Giadha Aguirre de Carcer, CEO of New Frontier Data, “Those are troublesome figures. . . . When we talk about people taking cannabis for medicinal use, we probably should do something about that.”
New Frontier uses pools of data to analyze the industry and to provide information that will allow cannabis producers and distributors to manufacture products that are better received by consumers. “People want to try different things. And that’s shifting. We are seeing a shift between flowers and edibles,” explained de Carcer.
The US cannabis market, according to de Carcer, will reach $30 billion within the next seven years. The US market is the prime market to determine how global expansion unfolds, but this can be hampered by deficiencies, such as a lack of conformity with current regulations and new ones that will certainly be introduced.
