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Guest Opinion: Pot testing is done for a reason Sunday Feb 26, 2017 at 12:01 AM By Caleb Hayes As the director of a Political Action Committee dedicated to protecting the public health and safety of Oregonians, I am writing in response to “Pot shops say testing rules are hurting extract sales,” published on Feb 1, 2017. There is great value in transparency, and some aspects of the previous story warrant clarification. Some interviewed in the story claimed that “massive over-regulation” has “killed” an otherwise robust industry. We disagree. Oregon consumers and business owners have benefited greatly from sales of medical and recreational marijuana. According to the Oregon Cannabis Business Coalition, medical and recreational cannabis netted $393 million dollars in 2016. These numbers are expected to reach $535 million in 2017. Although it is tempting to strive for the greatest profits, growers, processors and dispensaries have a responsibility to their consumers, to offer products that do not contain harmful chemicals or toxins. Before October 1, 2016 regulation there was no oversight or requirements for labs to be accredited or licensed to perform work. If a test result was not what a dispensary, producer or processor wanted they could go to another laboratory and receive a result to their liking. Camille Holladay, owner of Synergistic Pesticide Laboratory explains, “We have found alarming residues in cannabis samples and oftentimes multiple residues together. Prior to October changes, there was no reporting to the state, and no way to ensure that pesticide tainted products were kept from the marketplace.” In other words, the market prior to October was almost certainly contaminated with pesticide laden cannabis. The October 1st, base-level regulations, were meant to hold every dispensary, producer and processor to the same standard. These rules were created to keep consumers safe by making it more difficult for dishonest businesses to stock their shelves and sell product that is unsafe. It is important to correct the record regarding DDT. It is a false statement that labs unnecessarily test for DDT, a pesticide which is no longer used in the U.S. DDT is not a pesticide that is currently required to be tested. Prior to statewide changes that were implemented last October, a compound of insecticides, “Organochlorine”, a class to which DDT belongs, was included in testing. There is an available list of pesticides that laboratories are required to test for that can be found at www. public.health.oregon.gov. Finally, the Mail Tribune article illustrates the very reason why Oregonians for Public Health and Safety was formed; to educate on public health and safety issues in Oregon’s cannabis industry. It is disappointing that the article makes no mention of public health or safety. Instead, it focused on diminished profits. We believe public health and safety should always be addressed in the conversation about cannabis, not as an afterthought. Please visit our website at www.orpublichealth.com to join the effort to keep Oregon’s cannabis industry safe from harmful chemicals and toxins. — Caleb Hayes is director of Oregonians for Public Health and Safety (www.orpublichealth.com).