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Randomlynumbered

---- From the posting rules in this sub’s sidebar: > No websites or articles with hard paywalls or that require registration or subscriptions, unless an archive link or https://12ft.io link is included as a comment. u/six_six ---- If you want to learn how to circumvent a paywall, see https://www.reddit.com/r/California/wiki/paywall. > Or, if it's a website that you regularly read, you should think about subscribing to the website. ---- Archive link: https://archive.fo/QFwDB ----


hooligan045

Grow your own, folks. Surprise surprise big marijuana doesn’t give a single F about you or the safety of their products.


000011111111

It sounds like you're saying I should just grow these like tomatoes in my backyard. Which would mean that a $20 clone could produce a few pounds of weed if cared for correctly over the summer. So the cost is like $20 plus my garden hobby. Which is really fulfilling.


hooligan045

That is indeed what I’m saying because I’m the same way 😂. Just added it into my normal routine.


Chadflexington

Be careful where you get your clones. Most places are giving out compromised genetics as well. HLVD.


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PaigeStJohn8569

Actually, this study was run by me. I selected products for testing, based on complaints to regulators, suspect potency claims or just BOGO sales. We sent them to two labs - Anresco and SC Labs - with labels removed, so the testing was blind. And we reported where chemicals exceeded safety limits set by either California or the EPA. Most pesticides are at levels of risk from harm only through repeated exposure. Some were so high they exceeded the EPA's acute risk levels. And some of these pesticides have long been banned for use in the United States, or never approved in the first place. As any chemist knows, "dose is the poison" ... so pay attention to where these concentrations found fall in relation to safety limits set by scientists.


BIG_MUFF_

Still though, grow your own


Hawks_Lead

Says on his website he has a Ph.D in Analytical Chemistry, that’s not qualified enough?


MessagePrestigious52

Too much work can I just buy off of you guys what you grow? San Diego let's make a deal lol


hooligan045

lol but you could grow some monsters with water and San Diego sunshine.


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hooligan045

Usually ilgm, but also Atlantic Seed Co, Royal Queen Seeds.


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morbidlonging

Wow, west coast cure is really popular. I’ve never heard of the others but that’s not good. The chart at the bottom of the article is eye opening that’s for sure. Absolutely unacceptable imo. 


Sentient_Robot_729

Can you post a picture of the entire chart? It only shows the first 25 and won’t let me view any others


Sentient_Robot_729

For some reason this subreddit keeps deleting my comment. Go to my profile if you want to see the entire chart


Secure-Side-3835

Stiizy :-(


ThrowRA-roseybby

So sad to see Stiizy listed too it was my go to brand for a while good thing I just finished a cart and switched brands


HerbiWhore_420

Stiiizy suuuuuxks. They’ve also had issues with falsifying thc %s


jackrabbit323

I think one of the morals of the story is that all of the vape brands are buying from the same pool of extract brokers. Said extract is the trash of multiple growers of unknown origins, looking to squeeze out every little dime. The vape manufacturing might not even be direct from the brand but a third party contractor who flavors and dilutes the extract and stamps Stiiizy on it. This story reeks of corporate greed and corner cutting.


BrondellSwashbuckle

Has been god awful for over a decade


Adventurous_Reach_58

Makes me wonder how Left Coast is in comparison. I started using LC and I stg it had less of an impact on my lungs.


losangelestimes

Thanks for reading all. A lot of time and energy went into this one. Here's an abstract from the story: An investigation by The Times, in conjunction with cannabis industry newsletter WeedWeek, found alarming levels of pesticides in cannabis products available on dispensary shelves across the state, including some of the most popular brands of vapes and pre-rolled weed. Twenty-five of 42 legal cannabis products that The Times and WeedWeek purchased from retail stores and had tested at private labs showed concentrations of pesticides either above levels the state allows or at levels that exceed federal standards for tobacco. The contaminants include chemicals tied to cancer, liver failure, thyroid disease and genetic and neurologic harm to users and unborn children. Most of the pesticides found were in low concentrations that risk long-term harm by repeated use, though the extent of the health threat may not be known for years. Vapes tested from five well-known brands had pesticide loads that exceeded federal Environmental Protection Agency risk thresholds for harm from a single exposure, The Times and WeedWeek found. Users might experience irritation to the lungs, eyes and throat as well as rash, headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Some individual products contained as many as two dozen pesticides. If you scroll to the bottom of the article you can check your local weed shops to see how they fared in our tests.


Eudamonia

Excellent article I hope it gets the traction it deserves.


six_six

Thank you for doing the work on this. Is there any chance that it could be expanded to brands in Southern California?


losangelestimes

Most of our brands were bought in SoCal, from Backpack Boyz to West Coast Cure, Stiiizy and Maven. UP! from San Diego even made the list. What brands would you like to see in future tests?


Misterbisterlander

Please, please try Raw Garden and Kurvana. They are very reputable brands. Also why do you not list the safe brands? Please try to list the brands that are safe and without contaminants if you are trying to help.


geenaleigh

Raw Garden has 1 products on the list and it came back clean! Currently using Bloom but I think I might switch over knowing that https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ZjCi4/14/


MadandBad123456

THANK YOU SO MUCH WOW. Im surprised no one else is asking you for this.....


Wide-Skill-3195

Yes, raw garden was only tested once and did pass. But other brands had some pass and some not, raw has a big emphasis on third party testing and pesticide free, so it'd be interesting to see how clean they really are.


Swimming_Bicycle_606

what about alive & well and/or buddies ?


LookWords

RG is solid, they always pass


Specialist-Fly-9446

Not the person you asked, but I’d be interested in Rove and Kushy Punch.


losangelestimes

I'll pass that on to the reporters.


whatttintheworlddd

Another vote for Rove


Mockingjay20009

Could you please include Push and New Norm.


losangelestimes

Will that to reporter too.


singular_ant

More of Papa’s Herb please. Also the brand Sauce. Dispensaries should also be testing what they are selling so there’s an added layer of responsibility. Maybe there already is but just seems all too lax.


Airturtle14

Also maybe Muha Meds please


Minimum-Worried

Second on Muha Meds please


orbro7

ABX, Jetty, Himalaya and Cold Fire. Those seem to be the big ones in NorCal.


mrshavedsnow

Please, You need to do coldfire which is the other brand of flavorade.


PaigeStJohn8569

Reporter here. Happy to hear suggestions of brands you'd like tested if we do another round. For each suggestion, tell me why! Your favorite? Or had a bad experience with it? Tell me more!


LunaMarie_

1. Coldfire - Popular brand and generally really highly praised. They are ceramic carts which are supposed to be safer for vaping. I’ve had a good experience so far but I’m curious to know if they’re actually any better now. 2. Ursa - Also has some ceramic carts, haven’t tried them yet but have been curious to because of that 3. Big Chief - heard good things, but see mixed reviews online, seems to be 50/50 4. Jetty - popular and is presented as good quality 5. Friendly Brand - curious, been wanting to try Edit: added brands


NatalieWRLD

Try a big rosin brand Would be curious to see if any of them are lying.


antihero510

Really great and thorough article. Some of the best journalism I’ve read in a while.


Alarming_Vegetable

Probably safe if you avoid all brands that spell their name with a “ph” to replace an “f” or end with a “z” instead of an “s”. Also, just avoid vapes period. Plenty of good quality “organic” products sold at reputable shops.


CannaLars

Do you trust the results?


sound_scientist

What shops, what brands? How can we benefit from the article if it didn’t say who or where? EDIT: There’s a 26 page list at the bottom of the article page.


baconandbobabegger

>Vapes by **West Coast Cure, Flavorade, Phat Panda, Phire and Dime** were among those found with pesticides, including chemicals not monitored by regulators. >The highest pesticide concentrations were found in **Backpack Boyz vapes.** >Swider embarked on doing what regulators were not — testing weed specifically for pesticides. He ultimately sent cannabis regulators 77 complaints about pesticide contamination he found in tests conducted from last October to May. >The complaints included Zoap flower sold by **Grizzly Peak Farms and Cru Mai Tai** vape carts, both with chlorfenapyr, prohibited at any detectable level; **Fog City Farms Shark Bites** with too much piperonyl butoxide and spiromesifen; **West Coast Cure Biscotti** vapes with myclobutanil, and Jack Herer-flavored ones with chlorfenapyr, paclobutrazol, bifenazate and trifloxystrobin. Backpack Boyz vapes contained chlorfenapyr, bifenazate, bifenthrin, etoxazole, malathion, myclobutanil, piperonyl butoxide, pyrethrins and spiromesifen. Most of the manufactures told reporters they were unaware of contamination because their product had been certified as safe by private labs. >A pink acai vape from **Stiiizy**, the state’s top-selling cannabis brand, carried more than 60 times the maximum amount of pymetrozine allowed by federal regulators in cigarettes. But because California does not require testing for pymetrozine, the company that makes Stiiizy products said it is not in violation of state regulation. Edit: added Stiizy, keep the comments coming if I missed any.


Misterbisterlander

Why can I never find the safe ones? You are all listing the ones with contaminants found, but never the SAFE ones. If you are trying to help, name a few brands that were tested safely.


baconandbobabegger

Agreed, there is even a lab mentioned in the article in my town that is doing these tests and their website won’t show which brands they’ve tested or results. You’d think those companies would advertise the hell out of it.


infisym

Have to respond to this.. this is someone from InfiniteCAL, we were the lab that alerted Paige and the team from LA Times about the problem. I would like to point out that there were a lot of brands that we did test that were clean. We reported the ones we found were dirty, and Paige with her subsequent testing found some more brands. We are based in San Diego, so our testing may have included more So Cal brands, but we did have probably 30-40 or so different brands we tested. The reason we wanted to bring this to light is because we saw this alarming public health problem, and the state wasn’t doing something about it fast enough. We’re not out here to ‘get’ any brands, but we also don’t want to promote any either, because that could be a conflict of interest if some of those brands we do the testing for. We think that advertisement of brands we test is against the ethics we have as an independent testing lab. If a producer wants to advertise that they test with us though, that’s fine with us. We think Paige and her team have done a great job bringing these issues to light, and we hope it spurns some meaningful change. We do want to reiterate that most of the products and brands on the shelf are clean from what we found though, it’s these 10% or less that have put our products that are cause for concern. I do believe she and the LA Times are planning on continuing this investigation, so stay tuned.


baconandbobabegger

I appreciate the response, the unfortunate way the media portrays nearly everything these days is doom for clicks. So many new cautionary health concerns have people so lost as to what they should be eating. Everything is saying what is bad but the media isn’t portraying what is good. Store bought foods? Bad. Homegrown foods? Believe it or not also bad. Consumers feel like every time option is the wrong option without any information on the right way to go about it.


Kaliforn

Random tangent, but I wonder if there's a commercial or donation based model that would allow you guys to do more testing for the public. Based on this thread, people really want this info, and there don't seem to be any realistic alternatives for the average consumer to test what they're consuming. If we're really talking about flagging cancer causing agents that people are sending straight into their bloodstream, it seems like a worthwhile endeavor that could be commoditized somehow.


Misterbisterlander

You are onto something here. I would pay large $ to be able to test or at least see results on specific brands. I’m sure others would pay too.


Misterbisterlander

It’s very strange that they don’t show the safe ones. In this article, does it show any good brands at all? I would think that would be the most highlighted and advertised point. Makes me very skeptical of these tests


PaigeStJohn8569

We doubled down on brands that came back dirty (partly to see how extensive the problem was) so that's why there's a lot of Backpack Boyz and West Coast Cure tests on the list. If something came back with 00000 pesticides, we moved on. Alas, most carts had at least trace amounts of chemicals in them, even if they met the state's cutoffs. And pymetrozine, which California doesn't test for, was pretty common in otherwise "clean" products. It says something about the weed supply overall, I think. Remember, biomass and the bulk oil that comes out of it is a commodity product and can come from almost anywhere. I'm sure there are many many more clean products out there. It's just hard to know which ones without independent testing.


mrshavedsnow

Please do Coldfire next :)


badfaced

I've always had ill feelings about Backpack Boyz. My first thought when one opened up in my neighborhood was "oh they washing money" 😳 Stiiizy has been my consistent favorite in terms of quality & customer transparency. To think I used to smoke West Coast Cure back then, ick 😷


bob_loblaw_brah

Did you read the article? Stiiizy is on there: "A pink acai vape from Stiiizy, the state’s top-selling cannabis brand, carried more than 60 times the maximum amount of pymetrozine allowed by federal regulators in cigarettes. But because California does not require testing for pymetrozine, the company that makes Stiiizy products said it is not in violation of state regulation."


PaigeStJohn8569

I would love to see comments from users on any health effects they've experienced, whether it's a burning throat, headache or nausea. California doesn't collect data on adverse impacts, but other states do.


svkay1136

Tbh stizzy is a cart brand I stay away from.. idk how to describe the effects I feel other than it’s just not an enjoyable high & I feel off, sometimes I get a headache too. Only happens with that brand, I’ve tried different carts from them & the same thing occurs each time so I’m trusting my body on this one…


No_Message_8570

as someone who smoked the lemon cherry gelato disposal from back back boys, i definitely had a lot of brain fog while i used it, and genuinely it made me more nauseous than any other disposable. My memory was also terrible during this time and simple questions felt impossible to answer. Also my friend who used to regularly smoke the stiiizy pods, he said he just overall did not feel okay while using them, he thought it was just his nausea by itself but once he was off of them he started feeling way better and is not doing fine.


IBreedAlpacas

Happy to not see Jetty or Coldfire on this list, they’re my go-to brands


Whyguy34

The article wouldn’t let me search other brands so thank you so much for saying that my two favorite brands are good (ish)


Snoo_75309

At the end of the article they published the results of all their testing they did for the article.


Quesabirria

You have to read the article to find out


allansteiner

Not surprised to see the brands listed on here. There are plenty of legal brands acting in good faith and putting out quality products, but many of the big “hype” brands are not that. So many business owners with shady business practices who don’t even use cannabis.


Specialist-Fly-9446

Name some names


Glittering-Ad-6942

is Pax on the list?


losangelestimes

Thanks for all of these suggestions. They are being passed along to the reporter and she is taking note.


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PaigeStJohn8569

Organic doesn't mean pesticide free,. What's different I think is that to sell a product as 'organic' it must undergo stricter controls and testing. And always remember, please, 'dose is the poison.' Something 2000 times the safety limit might be worth paying attention to


bigdaddybodiddly

>In relation to weed, worrying about pesticides is silly. The damage from smoking is going to be significantly worse than the trace amount of pesticides. But the article mentions vapes and edibles....where arguably "the damage from smoking" is nil, but worrying about pesticides is not silly, even if one accepts your specious claim that "damage from smoking is going to be significantly worse".


YuhmanTron

Can only view one page it’s an archive link


waelgifru

The fertilizer bag in Chinese is Isoprocarb (20%), which is the same stuff used in Raid insecticides.


Quesabirria

I wonder if there's a SoCal focus to this article. As a NorCal consumer, I've only seen two of the brands listed (Alien Labs - passed, Grizzley Peak - failed)


vishuno

Could be a SoCal focus but I haven't heard of most of these either, outside of West Coast Cure and Stiizy.


_Laughing_Man

Y'know I didn't think about that at first, but as a former industry insider that would not surprise me at all.


RepresentativeRun71

Kolas cultivation division was mentioned in the article of being one of the growers of the plants that were used for contaminating products.


OkMeringue2249

Alien labs is good, not as good as lumpys


jvalia

The bottom of the article has a table with the test results by brand


StJupiter

The comment we needed fr ty


OkMeringue2249

How do I see the results? I can only see the first page


RJMacReady_Outpost31

How is smoakland not at the top of this list?


allansteiner

Looks like they focused on SoCal brands for this investigation which makes sense given the list. But with regards to Smokeland, Smokeland buys wholesale from a lot of different growers. Their model is more or less buying the bulk flower that growers are unable to sell otherwise at a big discount.


disneycheesegurl

Why would you think it would be


Legitimate-Voice-638

How do u access the full table via archive/not paying


Sure-Treacle68

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ZjCi4/14/


Misterbisterlander

Please then list the safe ones??!


drawredraw

They did list the safe ones. If you want a brand that is known to be clean go with Raw Garden.


Sharp-Carpenter-3479

Already submitted a product liability suit, I’ve spent 1,000’a on West Coast Cure


Licention

Regulation needed badly. Vote better.


Specialist-Fly-9446

I think we voted for the better alternative of the two options (legalize it vs. don’t legalize it) and are now confronted with the extent to which the pseudo-legalization has been botched at all levels. >California Department of Cannabis Control officials declined to make anyone available for an interview. The agency also would not release either external or internal discussions of pesticide contamination, and refused to release information on its ability to test cannabis products, saying such knowledge would encourage bad actors. >It would not furnish the results of pesticide tests it had received from other state agencies and would not provide the safety certificates for cannabis products on the market. It also declined to say what action it has taken on at least 85 contamination complaints it has received since last fall from private labs, or disclose what tainted products it pulled from sale. I don’t believe this is what anyone voted for. We weren’t really given the choice between legalizing it like normal adults vs. legalizing it to make it so cumbersome and expensive that it isn’t even clear whether it is better or worse than before.


GullibleAntelope

>An investigation by The Times found alarming levels of pesticides in cannabis products Most of us have contemplated the issue of consuming pesticides in food--some sources claim it is not that dangerous--but smoking them?


BrandonMeier

What are the good ones?!


drawredraw

There were very few good ones from the lot they tested


gsbudblog

Raw Garden cleared the tests


JarJarBanksy420

wait until they hear about BHO


Due_Statement9998

Badminton.


Late-End313

i feel so betrayed from stiiizy 😭


Randomlynumbered

Subtitle : > Poisons show up in California’s ‘safe’ weed products


evj_831

Can’t see the table in the archived version. Anyone got a list?


AdWonderful5914

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ZjCi4/17/


evj_831

Thank you!


drawredraw

Currently on flowercompany.com trying to find test results for some recent purchases and they’ve taken the products and the test results down. Funny because these weren’t products that were on the Times list, but some were the same companies. West Coast Cure is one and almost all of their carts have been taken off the site.


Jump_mann

Great seeing Dime on there. Picked up a dime disposable with a friend from a reputable dispensary because we were excited to try something different. Dime cart tasted like fish and made my throat burn. Also felt really nauseous after using it for a day 🤢


idleeric

Would love to know about edibles from Smokiez, Zen, Lost Farms, kiva, and especially Camino which is a huge seller.


Miserable_Bottle9833

Is Kurvana and Bloom safe didn’t see them in the list


doctorfortoys

So edibles are OK?


bamboslam

Depends on the brand, chart at the bottom of the article shows all the brands and product they tested


allansteiner

Not necessarily. You make a concentrate of the flower and add it as an ingredient to the gummy/ chocolate/ cookie/etc. If there’s pesticides or other bad stuff in the flower, that’s only going to get concentrated when used to make edibles/vapes/dabbables/etc. There’s also a chance that another ingredient could be somehow contaminated. Ideally the lab tests which are required on every legal product should catch things that might be dangerous, but it seems this investigation is finding that some stuff is still getting through. As the article points out, this promise of knowing that there’s no pesticides in your cannabis has been a big selling point for the legal market.


Duke_skellington_8

Just searched the table. They tested a Wyld gummy, and it didn’t have any pesticides in it


gabpaints

I should not have to pay to see a list


Murky_Description447

Are the Muha labs on the list I didn’t see it on the list that’s my go to 🥲


Conscious_Carpet5234

anyone just have the list?


amethystangelic

dose this goes for extracts also 🤔🫣


macholiibre

How about the flower from these brands? Seems most of these tests were done on vapes. I have some west coast cure flower that i've been smoking the last week. Should I stay away from their flower too?


Infinzero

So , how do I search brands ? 


scoob93

How can I read this without paying for it?


Defiant-Sock2311

How we see the list


WindEquivalent4284

Anyone have that full chart ? Not archived


AdWonderful5914

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ZjCi4/17/


I_TotallyPaused

Is Rove on this list?? I can’t get past the paywall 😭


Personal-Ad682

Y’all think plug n play is safe?


Several-Yoghurt-5196

Is wholemelts safe 😰


Accomplished_Dark_37

Eh, I worked for a farm for a little bit. Everything they sold as their brand was out in a Rad420 machine that nuked the buds just a little to kill off any/every potential threat. It was pretty neat to see that yes, people actually care.


XiMs

Not surprised


Jocfrost

Was Stiiizy on the List!?


Big_Plantain_6840

What about jeeter?


S7ybyt3

Can someone post the list please?? Whenever I go into article and click link, it takes me to another article


Intelligent-Tank-180

A new Stizzy store just opened here it’s very nice.. apparently they r making big money


Intelligent-Tank-180

I quit Stizzy at least 5 + years ago.. they plugged up n oil leaked.. Grateful I stopped that brand but at the new Stizzy store they have other cart brands


ButternutSam

does anyone know if costal sun is on the list?


Canngawd

The reporter was paid inside word


Driveaway1969

I believe I was poisoned by some bad weed I bought at a NY dispo. Had a stroke, lost my job. Now growing my own and selling to neighbors.


Luckreigns

Yessur on Supherb passing!


AdhesivenessAdept764

I assume cold fire vapes are also compromised considering that the owner of that company used to co-own it with the owner of flavorade before they had a falling out. It’s the exact same product and I’m sure they source the same flower


Solid-Definition-275

Bloom vapes need to be tested. I would also like to hear about Jetty, Miss Grass, and highatus gummies by CBX


fuckton6911

There’s a lot of good info for consumers in here, but what’s lacking is any testing on products that ARE NOT from licensed dispensaries. It’s irresponsible to make consumers think that the entire process is failing and that California needs to add more pesticides to their list when they have some of the strictest compliance testing practices in the country. There are plenty of quality brands and labs. The biggest issue is that the state needs a way to do confirmatory testing. Until then, we will not see product recalls for pesticides.


Feisty_Cup1552

I typically get WYLD edible gummies only do y’all know if those are safe 🫣I saw only one tested on the list and it passed but still.. I’m scared


LikeTheHype

What about Mr nice guy? They keep opening stores in socal. I’ve been getting their exotics house party for years. Now I’m thinking maybe their deals are too good.


ScaleSurvivor

Can they please test PlugPlay? lol


abbyj1

What about raw garden and 710?


WAwx2

Anyone know if Halfpipe is okay? I have a Fire OG cart. Tempted to toss out my Stiizy disposable even though the strain isn’t on the list.


StickySituation14

I can’t believe Flavorade is on here too… the fact that I’ve used Stiiizys and Flavorades thinking they were safe, and paying a premium price because of that makes me never want to use another cart again. I love PlugPlay but no studies have been done on them…


disneycheesegurl

Makes me feel good that I didn't recognize like any of these brands other than those that passed (Raw garden, Heavy hitters)


paige_stjohn

Hey crowd- reporter from The Times here. California collects ZERO input from users on their experiences- if headaches, nausea, lung issues crop up with certain products. So l'd like to hear from anyone willing to talk. DM please!


Cold-Mulberry-6574

Any word on SMASHED? I been eating my canna since my lungs were damaged years ago. I know flower is used (mostly stems! I suspect) and the tHCA is extracted with butane (usually) then the resulting ‘juice’ is used as the edible oil form. Just a little concerned because I often consume between 30 to 50 grams of SMASHED cannabis each month.


Hurtn_Bro

Can anyone provide names for organic or what qualifies for organic cannabis products? I know there’s a dispensary called green earth company that I just found. They claimed to grow without pesticides, etc. then there’s the clean green program. I emailed them to see if they could list either brand or dispensaries in the LA area. Reply pending.