Here at Nature’s Remedy Cannabis we don’t carry remediated cannabis. Why?
Even though marijuana is grown and sold all across the country, the federal government still hasn’t made it legal. This means that the federal government hasn’t done any official testing or put out national guidelines for growing, testing, compliance, and remediation. That portion of regulation has been left up to the individual states.
Clean, high quality, exceptional cannabis, it turns out, is hard to grow. Because it’s a plant, it is susceptible too molds, bugs, and diseases. Because it is a legal, but controlled substance on the state level, most states, including Michigan, have put very rigorous testing in place to ensure that the product you purchase doesn’t have harmful levels of foreign substances. The growers have to figure out how to pass those tests.
We have decided to take the natural path. We choose companies that grow in an exceptionally clean environment, with very tight environmental controls. We don’t have to worry in terms of protocols in place just for light and nutrients, but also for natural, non-chemical processes that allow our product to pass rigorous testing without having to subject it to other harsh remediation methods.
Other growers have decided that they can take care of any possible compliance/testing issues after harvest. The simplest way to do this is to grow, harvest, and then nuke the cannabis with radiation to eliminate any unfriendly organisms. Then, once it is sterile, send it out to the lab to be tested. This works for testing, but not for the fact that mold can begin to grow again a few weeks later.
Let us answer some questions for you.
What is cannabis remediation?
Remediation is the process of a cannabis business taking corrective measures to remove undesirable elements, such as pesticides, heavy metals or mold, from their product so that it can pass regulatory testing standards.
What types of remediation are there, and what machines are used?
The most popular methods for remediating cannabis biomass include using ozone or various forms of radiation to kill microbes on the plant. Cannabis oils can be further remediated at a processing facility using extraction and distillation methods.
Do all cannabis companies remediate their products?
No. Removing harmful products from cannabis sounds like a good thing, but quality growers work hard to ensure their cannabis never needs remediation to begin with.
Should I be concerned about purchasing remediated cannabis?
Yes! While remediation can remove harmful elements from the cannabis product, it also destroys natural terpenes and cannabinoids, making the cannabis less flavorful and less potent.
And while remediation can be used to ensure flower passes testing by killing dangerous molds like aspergillus, it cannot remove the mycotoxins aspergillus creates. Even when killed with treatment, the dead pathogens could trigger allergies or asthma.
What are the rules for cannabis remediation?
Remediated product must pass testing to confirm that contaminants are no longer present exceeding the Cannabis Regulatory Authority action limit. Remediated flower (buds, shake/trim) will additionally require potency to be repeated post remediation. Failed marijuana product must pass two separate retests. If one or both retests fail, the product is ineligible for sale or transfer and must be destroyed.
How do I spot a remediated cannabis product?
It’s always a good idea to ask your budtender if the product you are interested in purchasing has been remediated. Unfortunately, however, companies are not required to tell consumers whether a cannabis product has been remediated.
How do cannabis brands avoid having to remediate their products?
The only way to prevent cannabis from needing to be remediated is by using strict standards of cleanliness, conducting regular environmental analyses, adhering to the very best growing techniques and ensuring every employee follows their company’s standard operating procedures.
Our hope with you reading this, you see how high exceptions are in order to give you the best smoking experience possible.
