Denver Grower Loses Court Fight Over Pesticide Quarantine

Don’t miss our MJBiz LinkedIn Live covering “Women Leaders in Cannabis: Shattering the Grass Ceiling” on Wednesday, March 27, at 2 p.m. ET. Visit LinkedIn to register!


Denver marijuana cultivator Organic Greens was shot down in court on Friday by a district court judge who sided with the city after the grower tried to overturn a hold order issued by the city that prohibited the company from selling marijuana that had been treated with a certain pesticide.

The company had been forced in March by the city’s Department of Environmental Health to quarantine between 15 and 20 pounds of cannabis after the agency found that the company had used the fungicide Eagle 20 on the plants. Organic Greens fought back, arguing that the pesticide was used safely, but lost on Friday when Judge John Madden ruled in favor of the city.

The ruling means there’s no word on when Organic Greens may be able to legally sell the plants that were put under the hold order.

Organic Greens is among at least 10 Denver cannabis growers who were issued hold orders for tens of thousands of plants in March and April amid growing concerns from both the city and the state Department of Agriculture. Some have voluntarily destroyed the crops in question, while others have been waiting to see if they’ll be allowed to harvest and sell the plants.

Questions over pesticide use have been a burgeoning issue in the retail cannabis world, with little guidance from either local, state or federal regulators on which pesticides are permitted and which are not.