Health concerns when it comes to marijuana have arisen for years. Many studies have recently shown the plant’s production could cause dangerous health concerns. The plant contains toxins and mold that occurs during the growing process, and is eventually sold to patients and patrons in California. 

We see these cases coming through locally in the Bay Area in the past couple months. Authorities should warn local users about these findings, and make moves to make the drug safer for people who need it medically.

Anresco Laboratories, headquartered in San Francisco, is a company that provides testing for local cannabis to see if it’s been contaminated. The company ended up finding in early September that most sold marijuana has traces of mold and other chemicals. Herb.co, a cannabis education foundation, found that the 1,000-plus dispensaries in San Francisco would not pass the quality control test standards that are strongly enforced in Oregon and Colorado cities. 

Anresco recently found in August at an event in San Francisco’s Cow Palace at Hempcon that cannabis, edibles and other concentrates showed 80 percent of the marijuana contained toxins. San Francisco is one of many hotspots for the marijuana industry, and this should concern civilians who buy this drug. 

Herb.co also states that many users choose to ingest the drug through oils, which is popular because of the high source of THC. San Francisco Mag states that pesticides and fungicides can appear in cannabis extracts at 1,000 times the level of concentration typically found in foods.

Steep Hill Laboratories in Berkeley has also found that many dispensaries and cannabis show harmful molds and toxins. Steep Hill said, “Cannabis patients and consumers need to be their own best advocate, and get in the habit of asking if the cannabis products they use are tested for mycotoxins, and if not, advise their supplier to test for mycotoxins.” 

Steep Hill is a very reliable source from the Bay Area and an expert on mycotoxins, and how to critically test for them for users’ health. Steep Hill talks about how mycotoxin allergy can possibly affect people for the rest of their lives, meaning every time they are exposed to it, they will continue to get more ill. 

Drugs, as we all know, are something we need to use with precautions or not at all. Medical marijuana, if pure, is helpful for some people with chronic pain and sickness. The use of medical marijuana today has the potential to be very harmful with the exposure of more toxins and mold. 

Authorities should monitor partaking in it for fundamental reasons and educate more people on the topic. Buying this drug from dispensaries may seem safe, but as of now, in California it’s more dangerous than ever. 

There are big plans in 2018 for marijuana laws and regulations. California will be setting stricter rules for the process of the plant for users, making it safer to consume. Herb.co said that California will be having the strictest rules when it comes to cannabis, compared to other states. This still doesn’t cover the fact that the infected marijuana is affecting users negatively, but having those strict rules soon will hopefully save many from harmful toxins.