This is the full statement issued by Boulder marijuana shop The Farm in the wake of a recall issued by the state of Colorado on March 11, 2016:
After initially approving the use of “All Natural” Guardian Mite Spray, in January the Colorado Department of Agriculture removed the Spray from its list of pesticides approved for use on cannabis. Guardian, manufactured by Illinois-based All In Enterprises, marketed itself as 100 percent natural and listed its active ingredients as cinnamon oil and citric acid. Guardian was used widely across the cannabis industry and was believed to be both safe and effective.
It was later revealed that Guardian contained an additional ingredient not disclosed on product labeling or ingredient lists. That ingredient, Avermectin, is an insecticide currently used on crops such as almonds, cotton, wine grapes and walnuts. Avermectin is not approved for use on cannabis. All In Enterprises recently canceled its Colorado registration for Guardian and stopped sales of the product nationwide. Guardian has also been removed from the cannabis safe-list in Colorado and Oregon.
In December 2015, The Farm used Guardian in their cultivation facility. The product was applied sparingly to cannabis plants during an early vegetative stage. The product was never applied to the cannabis flower, which is the part of the plant that is inhaled or used for extraction for medical and recreational purposes. The Farm made the choice to use Guardian based on the product’s written and verbal claims as “100% natural 25(b) compliant” and its supporting, non-toxic ingredient list. “25(b) compliant” is a FIFRA category of exempted pesticides that are considered “minimum risk”. The Farm prides itself on using only natural/organic pesticides and only those from the Colorado state-approved list.
When The Farm learned that All In Enterprises mislabeled their Guardian product in January 2016, The Farm immediately terminated use of the product and held any cannabis that may have been impacted. Since the plants were not yet ready for flower harvesting, no product left the cultivation center. The Farm proactively hired a rigorous, third-party Cannabis testing company to tested plants for chemical residues. These tests came back negative for Avermectin residue.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture conducted additional pesticide tests with Farm cannabis that was applied with the Guardian product. On March 10, 2016, one of The Farm’s test results came back positive for traces of Avermectin. It remains in The Farm’s control and will be properly destroyed.
The Farm has an impeccable history of growing and selling high quality, chemical-free craft cannabis. The Farm’s decision to build a company focused on product integrity, purity and responsible business practices is critical to the company’s success. We want to assure our customers and patients that Farm cannabis is clean and safe and our commitment to health and wellness is steadfast.
