This edibles maker only uses marijuana he grows himself. Why that’s now crucial

One hundred percent of the marijuana used in Americanna’s edibles is grown in-house.

Embracing the cultivation model is a costly, yet necessary, move in the current edibles manufacturing climate, says Dan Anglin, who’s the chief executive officer of Colorado business Americanna and a former partner at EdiPure, another edibles maker in the state.

“What we wanted to do by having our own grow, first and foremost, was prevent any pesticide issues,” Anglin says. “You have seen, at the beginning of this year, recall after recall after recall, whether it was my former company or other people’s companies.”

The Cannabist has been keeping track of product recalls in Colorado — get the full list here.

Anglin joins The Cannabist Show to talk with Cannabist editor-in-chief Ricardo Baca about the challenges and opportunities for an edibles firm running its own grow.

Americanna’s 3,800 plants are not going to be enough to satisfy the demand, and the cultivation operation accounts for 70 percent of the company’s $250,000 monthly costs, he says. But until state-certified testing progresses, Anglin is sticking to his guns.

“I’m making product that people are eating, so I want to make sure that — start to finish — that our company controls the whole thing.”

Watch the full episode of The Cannabist Show.