Pubdate: Sun, 03 Mar 2013
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2013 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Robert Frichtel, Bloomberg
Note: Robert Frichtel is managing partner of the Medical Marijuana 
Business Exchange.
Page: 1D

IS YOUR MARIJUANA A TEQUILA SHOT OR A MERLOT?

If you're inclined to have an alcoholic beverage on occasion, I 
suspect that you don't simply go into a restaurant or bar and say 
"Give me a drink," not knowing whether you're going to get a glass of 
merlot or a shot of tequila.

As an informed consumer, you're likely to know that those two options 
are very different in appearance, taste, smell and alcohol content. 
We order a drink that's specific to the experience we want.

Something similar might be said of the fruits and vegetables we eat. 
We can buy organic products, helping us eliminate some or all of the 
pesticides and inorganic fertilizers that may be used to grow these foods.

It's not so simple for a cannabis patient in the 18 states (plus the 
U.S. capital) where marijuana is legal for medical purposes, or in 
Colorado and Washington, where marijuana has been approved for 
recreational use. The consumer is left either uninformed or, at best, 
with anecdotal information. Standards and industry benchmarks don't 
exist. With marijuana, you don't really know what you're going to get.

Yet there are some things we know. Modern growing techniques and 
available cannabis strains are yielding more potent marijuana today 
than in years past. Concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, 
the most widely recognized psychotropic component in marijuana, have 
increased consistently since the 1970s, when they were on average 
believed to be about 1 percent.

Today's medical-grade marijuana, which is often available to 
recreational users, has THC concentrations that average 16 percent 
and can reach 24 percent or higher.

There is an argument within the industry that stronger THC 
concentrations lead consumers to smoke or ingest less cannabis 
product. This might have the equation backward. I believe it's more 
likely that overconsumption occurs, and possibly before consumers 
know they have exceeded their comfort level. This is one reason that 
formal quality guidelines and labeling are needed.

Some, but not all, states require oversight of commercial growers, 
monitoring production quantities and security of the plants and 
related equipment. But the focus is on how much marijuana is being 
cultivated and whether the facilities are safe and won't be an easy 
target for thieves.

There are few rules for how a plant is grown, what fertilizers are 
used or what pesticides are sprayed on the plants. And though many 
growers are very prudent about how they raise their crops to ensure 
safe cannabis, not all are so careful. Some let the profit incentive 
override safety concerns.

Here's an example of what can happen in the absence of strict 
monitoring of production techniques: Say a grower winds up with an 
infestation of spider mites, a common pest that can cause severe 
damage to household plants and marijuana, too. The grower may well 
spray the plants with a chemical pesticide that can stay on leaf 
surfaces through harvest and consumption. Because cannabis is usually 
smoked as the method of ingestion, any residual pesticide will be 
taken directly into the consumers' lungs, which may be dangerous.

In November, Colorado voters backed the legalization of recreational 
marijuana use. The law's tag line was, "Regulate marijuana like 
alcohol." This was an easy way to explain to voters that marijuana 
would be sold much like alcohol: through designated stores and only 
to those older than 21. The stores would be licensed and monitored by 
the state, and marijuana would be properly labeled. Washington 
state's law was approved with a similar proviso.

It isn't yet clear what information labels should show. Focus groups, 
involving industry participants, government officials and the public, 
are still working on promulgating rules.

The marijuana industry (both medical and recreational) needs to 
develop production standards concerning pesticides and chemicals and 
appropriate disclosure on the labels. Warnings should be included 
about driving or operating machinery and that use by those younger 
than 21 is illegal.

The industry should also create a simple grading system that shows 
THC potency. It probably wouldn't need to be as specific as the 
alcohol content labels on most beverages, but perhaps based on a 
scale of "light," "medium," "heavy" and "extra heavy." That way a 
consumer will be less likely to exceed his or her limit.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom