Does Your Weed Contain Toxic Contaminants and Heavy Metals?

Not all cannabis is created equal. While you can buy certain things anywhere with little worry about quality, weed is not one of them. Unregulated cannabis can have harmful contaminants, including heavy metals, bacteria, mold, pesticides, and solvents. Some cannabis products can even contain dangerous levels of arsenic! So, where you purchase your medical or recreational weed can be extremely important for your health and safety.

What Are Heavy Metals?

Heavy metals are classified as metals with a high atomic weight and have at least a five times greater density than water. There are 23 heavy metals that occur naturally in the soil or are introduced through such things as pesticides and other pollutants. Although some heavy metals are beneficial in small amounts, such as zinc, copper, chromium, and iron, others, including arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury can become extremely toxic at even low concentrations.

Why Is Heavy Metal Consumption Dangerous?

Heavy metal poisoning can occur when minute molecules of arsenic or mercury, for example, accumulate in your body. Because heavy metals are also naturally occurring in the ground, we come in contact with small amounts daily. When we regularly eat fish that contains mercury, or use skincare products containing aluminum, for example, your body cannot metabolize these heavy metals, so they become concentrated. Eventually, this can cause cellular damage, interfere with important body functions, and eventually become life-threatening in severe cases.

Why Does Cannabis Contain Heavy Metals and Other Contaminants?

Cannabis belongs to a special group of plants known as hyperaccumulators. These plants have the unique ability to absorb toxins from the soil, air, water, and fertilizers, for example, at levels that can be hundreds and even thousands of times greater than other plants. The cannabis plant is so efficient at pulling toxins from the environment that growers often plant it in specific areas to help clean the soil of pollutants, a process called phytoremediation.

A cannabis plant can absorb toxins through its roots and transport them throughout the rest of the plant, including to the leaves and flowers. It then uses hair-like structures called trichomes in its flowers to remove these contaminants. The trichomes, however, also store CBD oil and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active components consumers look for in cannabis. If the toxins are not properly removed, human consumption can become harmful. To ensure consumer safety, states such as Colorado, where cannabis is legalized, have rigorous testing requirements.

How to Find Safe Cannabis

While each state may have different testing standards, legalized medical and recreational cannabis products undergo mandatory testing for heavy metals and other contaminants, including mold, bacteria, and residual solvents. In Colorado, a state-licensed and accredited laboratory must screen every product sold by a legal dispensary. Whether you are looking for flower, edibles, concentrates, pre-rolls, topicals, or seeds, choosing a reputable and accredited dispensary with knowledgeable staff is also key to ensuring you purchase only clean cannabis.

For more information and product offerings, contact Breckenridge Organic Therapy.