(RJ Sangosti, Denver Post file)

Can pesticides be eliminated from commercial marijuana grows?

Is it possible for inorganic and organic pesticides to be eliminated from commercial marijuana cultivation facilities?

The use of pesticides in Colorado marijuana grows gained attention earlier this year when officials with the city of Denver targeted six grow facilities and placed a hold on plants after the discovery that pesticides may have been improperly used. That came in the wake of a city-issued bulletin to marijuana growers about pesticides.

Cannabist editor Ricardo Baca is joined by Organic Cannabis Association founder John-Paul Maxfield and Cannabis Cup-winning master grower Corey Buffkin in a discussion on The Cannabist Show about the marijuana marketplace, consumer preferences and the use of the “organic” label when there is a lack of certification for the industry.

“Anybody can say that right now, and there’s no way to tell,” Buffkin says.

Regarding his own quest for organically-grown marijuana, Maxfield says: “The idealist in me hopes that it’s someday the reality; the capitalist in me understands that’s not the present reality, and I think the goal is to meet someplace in the middle and grow together.”

There’s also another topic to address: How pesticides are labeled for lawful use and what applies to cannabis.

Buffkin talks about what’s happening at facilities where he works, and why other growers have run into problems: “I can say what we do is that we go based upon what the (Marijuana Enforcement Division) and (Colorado Department of Agriculture) says we’re allowed to do. … You’re still going to find guys that are going to get hung up for using something illegal, because it’s more difficult to grow in an all-organic regimen as opposed to chemicals. If you know what you’re doing, then you can dial it in, but you’re going to have guys that are going to have issues.”

Catch the full episode of The Cannabist Show