While cannabis is a heavily regulated industry, it is also a very new industry. With anything new, issues arise that must be worked through as we define this complicated path forward. One of the more glaring issues is pesticide contamination, and the green-washing tactics brands use to disguise it.
As a consumer, having the tools necessary to navigate greenwashing in the dispensary experience is key! At Sespe, we are here to build your education toolbelt. Here is what you need to know.
- Third-party certifications are a must when you are shopping for clean, safe and earth-friendly flower. Because cannabis is not yet federally legal, we don’t have access to the federal organic certification. Thus, we use something called “third-party certifications,” which are groups who independently certify that the farm or grow is using organic or regenerative growing practices. One of the most trusted certifications is called Sun+Earth. Sespe Creek is so dedicated to upholding regenerative practices in their inventory that our owner sits on the board of this certification and we are officially the founding retail partner for Sun+Earth.
- Regardless of what they say, huge corporate brands do not sell organic weed. Shop small, and ask for craft flower.
- Flower that comes from the Emerald Triangle, a three-county weed wonderland with perfect growing conditions and a huge regenerative/organic farming community, is more likely to be free from pesticides than flower from Los Angeles or Santa Barbara. Ask your budtender if they have any flower from the Emerald Triangle.
- Sungrown cannabis is almost always more earth-friendly than indoor. It also provides a more chemically diverse and nuanced high that better supports the plant’s ability to restore homeostasis in your body. Ask for sungrown, then check the certification.
For more on how to navigate the dispensary and avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing: