cannabisnews.com: Colorado Weighs Difficulties of Pot Regulations
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Colorado Weighs Difficulties of Pot Regulations
Posted by CN Staff on November 26, 2010 at 09:52:29 PT
By Kristen Wyatt, Associated Press
Source: Associated Press 
Denver -- What's in that joint, and how can you be sure it's safe?Colorado is working toward becoming the first state to regulate production of medical marijuana. Regulators say pot consumers deserve to know what they're smoking, and producers should have safety regulations such as pesticide limits for plants destined for human consumption.
Right now, patients have no way to verify pot-shop claims that certain products are organic, or how potent a strain might be."You don't go into a Walgreens with a headache and put on a blindfold and pick something off a shelf. But that's what some people are doing when they buy marijuana," said Buckie Minor of Full Spectrum Laboratories in Denver, which currently does voluntary marijuana analysis for about 100 growers and dispensaries.Minor and others in the pot business say industry standards are needed. But Colorado officials are having a tough time writing regulations for a product that's never been scrutinized or safety-tested before.New Mexico requires marijuana products to be labeled by strain and potency, and is planning by the end of the year to allow health inspectors to review samples. But currently none of the 14 states that allow medical marijuana regulate how it's grown."There's no experience with this," said Dr. Alan Shackelford, a Denver physician heading up Colorado's effort to write labeling and safety regulations for medical marijuana.Colorado hopes to have in place by early next year some sort of labeling and inspection standard for marijuana sold commercially, under provisions of a new state law. But it's a daunting task. Physicians, pot shop owners and state regulators all say standards are needed but guidelines don't exist. Some of the questions:* Should marijuana sellers be able to attach medical claims to their products? What if no research exists to back up a claim that a certain strain of pot is best for, say, pain or nausea?* Should medical pot be labeled by potency? Patients using over-the-counter and prescription drugs can read the medicine's ingredients, but no analogy exists for pot's active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.* What about chemicals, such as pesticides or fertilizers, used on marijuana plants? Should those be limited, as they are for food and tobacco?* Agencies that routinely inspect farms, restaurants and pharmaceutical factories have no experience regulating pot. Can they be tapped to inspect marijuana grows?* What happens if someone gets sick from medical marijuana? Should growing operations have guidelines to limit contamination, such as mildew and mold?"Given the lack of USDA or other oversight of this agricultural industry, we're at square one," Shackelford said when introducing proposed regulations recently.According to regulators and physicians on the committee to establish regulations under the new law, the recommendations are likely to include basic labeling requirements, including potency. The regulations are also likely to call for pot growers to submit random samples for state testing, and rules for labeling pot products "organic."Shackelford says he'll borrow from federal tobacco regulations for limits on chemicals that can be used in material to be smoked or ingested.The regulations will also likely include the nation's first guidelines for the safe production of hashish, which is concentrated marijuana. Hash production can be a fire risk because it's often prepared using butane, and sometimes hash is made using plastics that can leave unsafe carcinogens as residue.Matt Cook, who leads the Department of Revenue committee considering the new regulations, conceded that state regulators face a challenge overseeing the state pot supply."How do I enforce this?" Cook asked Shackelford when the doctor was talking about limiting pesticide use on the plants. "I just don't want to create something that creates a regulatory nightmare for all of us."But the so-called "ganjapreneuers" working in the marijuana business say that regulation and safety standards are needed."Patients are definitely interested to get as much information as they can about what they're ingesting," Minor said.Online:Full Spectrum Laboratories: http://fullspectrumlabs.comColorado Department of Revenue marijuana guidelines: http://tinyurl.com/36t4hqtSource: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Kristen Wyatt, Associated PressPublished: November 26, 2010 Copyright: 2010 The Associated PressCannabisNews  Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 27, 2010 at 18:24:55 PT
goneposthole
Thank you. You are very kind. Thanksgiving to me is a time to love and pay close attention to people. Helping, sharing, supporting those around us always seems more important at Thanksgiving. It's a time to reflect and to appreciate life. Even the bad times. We are on this earth for one really important reason. That's to help someone who needs to be helped. We should be like we are on Thanksgiving all the year long.
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Comment #3 posted by goneposthole on November 27, 2010 at 16:03:49 PT
FoM
Hello. I don't want to ignore your greetings, I just have to gather my thoughts. What comes to mind is how remarkable you really are and the work you have done is just as remarkable.You deserve much more than a thank you, but thank you for what you have done.Thanksgiving was great. What is better is giving food to food banks and pantries. It's a great feeling to provide more than just money to those in need.Keep on keeping on.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 27, 2010 at 06:57:07 PT
goneposthole
It's really good to see you. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day.
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Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on November 27, 2010 at 05:16:23 PT
Thank Colorado
The people in the state of Colorado are applying for medical cannabis permits at a rate of a thousand per day. Colorado is wide open for the cannabis industry and it is a good thing.If you are thinking of moving to a different state for work and leading an unencumbered life from being prosecuted for using a plant, Colorado is the place to be. You will love the place.Also, it is time to thank the DEA for banning look-alike cannabis products and essentially endorsing cannabis as the real McCoy. They could do better and just do something else for a living, but for now, they'll have to trudge along doing their dreaded drudgery. Someday, they will come around and finally wake up and smell the coffee.
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