Colorado state lawmakers have rejected legislation to certify organic marijuana, because of worries the label would imply MJ is healthy.
A senate panel this week killed the bill 4-3. It would have made Colorado the first state in the nation to offer organic certification for cannabis grown without pesticides, the Associated Press reported.
Others voiced concerns the U.S. Department of Agriculture would penalize Colorado agriculture regulators for labeling a federally illegal substance as organic. The federal government regulates organic standards.
Ben Gelt of the Denver-based Organic Cannabis Association, an industry group pushing for organic pot standards, criticized the committee’s vote, noting that chocolate and wine – which typically don’t spring to mind as health foods – can receive organic certification.
The bill originally was introduced because of fears that growers were slapping organic labels on their products when they really weren’t organic.
A recent Marijuana Business Daily survey found that 59% of wholesale growers said they grew all their cannabis organically.
