How Necessary Is Pathogen Testing for the Cannabis Industry?

The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story in mid-June 2022 discussing the fact that the state of Utah no longer tests marijuana plants for pathogens. Apparently, they were testing until just over a year ago. The testing was halted when the state had trouble allocating some of the supplies they needed for the task. Fourteen months later, no dire consequences have been reported. So how necessary is pathogen testing for the cannabis industry?

To be clear, the lack of pathogen testing does not mean medical cannabis products in Utah are not tested at all. They are. Growers and processors are required to verify their products are safe before they can ship them to pharmacies – like Salt Lake City’s Beehive Farmacy. Pathogen testing is something extra. It goes above and beyond what the state requires of growers and processors.

Mold and Other Pathogens

Utah’s pathogen testing was conducted on actual plant material, not cannabis products derived from plants. Testing looked for pathogens like mold, salmonella, and E. coli, all of which can be problematic to human health. Those who promote such testing are especially concerned for patients with conditions that compromise their immune systems.

During the time that Utah was testing for pathogens, only 3 of 600 samples tested positive. There have been no reports of adverse effects related to pathogens among the tens of thousands of Utah medical cannabis users. However, that may be more to do with the state’s medical cannabis laws than actual pathogen testing.

Most of the problems related to cannabis pathogens are associated with smoking the plant. Utah does not allow smoking. Patients have access to raw flowers only for the purposes of dry heating or using it to make their own edibles.

Risk Is Still Real

Regardless of state law, the risk is still real. There are undoubtedly some medical cannabis patients in the state who choose to smoke rather than dry heat, vape, or use tinctures or oil. So any plants contaminated with pathogens could be problematic to smokers. But let us move beyond Utah. What about neighboring states that allow smoking?

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, doctors in California noticed some of their patients were suffering severe lung disorders after smoking cannabis. This was several years ago. An investigation revealed that plants contaminated with pathogens were being sold at various locations throughout the state. Though a link between the plants and the sick patients was never officially established, it has always been suspected.

Risk Can’t Be Fully Eliminated

It is easy to look at what happened in California and just assume that pathogens were the problem. A knee jerk reaction would be to force pathogen testing of every single plant before harvest. On the other hand, states could simply ban smoking marijuana to reduce the pathogen risk that way. But the truth is that not all risk can be fully eliminated.

Risk is part of life. It is certainly part of consuming cannabis, despite the fact that cannabis is not considered as dangerous as so many other drugs. It is still a foreign substance being introduced into the human body. And whenever we do that, we assume a certain amount of risk along with the behavior.

Utah left off pathogen testing of its medical cannabis just over a year ago. So far, there haven’t been any reported consequences from the decision to do so. State officials say they do plan to resume pathogen testing at some point, they just haven’t given a date yet. But should they? Is it really necessary to test cannabis for pathogens on a large scale?