Marijuana plants fill a room at a Denver cultivation facility in December 2013. (Hyoung Chang, Denver Post file)

Oregon, other states stop sales of pot pesticide because of labeling problem

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Agriculture stopped the sale of a pesticide used by marijuana growers because one of its active ingredients is not listed on the product label.

The agency says the product, Guardian, identifies itself as 100 percent natural, and lists its active ingredients as cinnamon oil and citric acid. A state lab, however, found the presence of abamectin, a widely used insecticide that is a combination of avermectins, which are banned from use on cannabis.

The order announced last week requires the manufacturer — Illinois-based All In Enterprises — to immediately halt sales in Oregon. Moreover, the agency asks growers who purchased the product to not use it until an assessment of any potential health concerns is complete.

In Colorado last month, the state Department of Agriculture temporarily removed Guardian from its list of pesticides approved for use on cannabis, and subsequently issued an advisory that the state pesticide registration for Guardian had been canceled by the registrant and that any retail distribution should cease.

A company official declined to discuss the labeling issue when contacted by The Oregonian, but said the product has been pulled nationwide.