Is Your Pot Organic? A New Retail Program Will Help You Find Out [FEATURE]

The “Natural Part” program from regenerative natural marijuana certifier Solar+Earth goals to let  marijuana shopper be told about what’s of their weed. 

This previous summer time, issues concerning the security of authorized marijuana moved entrance and middle after the Los Angeles Occasions and WeedWeek, a hashish trade e-newsletter, reported that the California Division of Hashish Management had been conscious for months that harmful chemical substances had been detected in authorized marijuana offered to the general public. 

The joint investigation discovered excessive ranges of insecticide chlorfenapyr in hashish merchandise offered in pot retailers across the state. The World Well being Group identifies it as a reasonably poisonous pesticide, however the Nationwide Institutes of Well being reported that “Though [chlorfenapyr] has been recognized as a reasonably poisonous pesticide by the World Well being Group (WHO), the mortality price of poisoned sufferers is extraordinarily excessive. There isn’t a particular antidote for chlorfenapyr poisoning.” 

The report additionally discovered that many standard manufacturers of vapes and pre-rolled joints had been contaminated. The Los Angeles Occasions and WeedWeek examined 42 completely different merchandise, and 25 of them contained concentrations of pesticides above allowable ranges. Some merchandise contained as many as two dozen completely different pesticides, and a few well-known vape manufacturers had ranges above federal thresholds for hurt from a single publicity. 

This wasn’t the primary time issues had been raised—see extra reporting on the issue from the Occasions right here and reporting on it from Past Pesticides right here and right here—however it actually introduced the difficulty into focus. Now, somebody is doing one thing about it. 

The regenerative natural marijuana certification group Solar+Earth introduced final week that it’s partnering with pot retailers in California and Oregon to launch a brand new program referred to as “Natural Part” to advertise pesticide-free, organically grown Solar+Earth-certified merchandise and make them extra accessible to shoppers. The initiative is designed to piggyback on shopper familiarity with natural sections in grocery shops by creating devoted areas inside the retailers for marijuana licensed by Solar+Earth or different related applications. 

This system rolled out at 11 Oregon retailers in Portland, Eugene, and Salem, with the Golden Grail Group, which owns the outstanding Oregon hashish dispensaries Chalice Farms, Homegrown Oregon, and Belushi’s Animal Home, taking a lead function. And it launched in California, too, with pot retailers together with Sespe Creek in Ojai, Herb & Market Humboldt in Arcata, and The Woods, a hashish dispensary in West Hollywood, co-owned by Woody Harrelson, all collaborating. 

“The Natural Part program has offered us with a definite benefit within the aggressive retail panorama,” mentioned William Simpson, Chief Govt Officer (CEO) of Golden Grail Group in a press launch asserting this system. “Our prospects recognize having a devoted space the place they will simply discover merchandise that align with their values. Our staff are additionally excited to assist educate prospects in understanding how their hashish is grown,” continued Simpson.

Whereas the market analysis group TrendSource present in its Hashish Business Report that greater than half (53 %) of American marijuana customers are keen to pay extra for natural marijuana, the overwhelming majority of marijuana merchandise comprise no labeling on how they had been sourced and grown or what pesticides or different chemical substances had been used, not to mention on whether or not they’re natural. The Natural Part program tackles this challenge by incorporating a shopper training marketing campaign to lift consciousness concerning the well being and environmental advantages of organically grown marijuana. That marketing campaign contains educating budtenders and making academic supplies accessible at collaborating retailers. 

“Natural sections are now not only for grocery shops,” mentioned Jacob Policzer, Solar+Earth co-founder and Govt Director. “By bringing this acquainted mannequin to dispensaries, hashish shoppers can be higher capable of discern which merchandise are being made utilizing regenerative natural farming practices. Because the hashish market continues to evolve, initiatives just like the Natural Part program present a significant lifeline, guaranteeing that craft and heritage hashish farms can proceed to thrive with out compromising the well being of shoppers and the planet,” continued Policzer.

Along with boosting shopper engagement, the Natural Part program helps craft farms by rising their market publicity. These devoted sections enable shoppers to simply determine and select merchandise licensed by trusted applications, together with hashish merchandise with the acquainted Solar+Earth seal and concentrated hashish merchandise made with Solar+Earth Licensed flower.

“Our objective is to create a seamless purchasing expertise that aligns with shopper expectations and helps the expansion of sustainable, organically grown hashish,” mentioned Vincent Deschamps, Solar+Earth board member and proprietor of 54 Inexperienced Acres farm in Oregon. “We consider the Natural Part program will set a brand new normal within the trade, benefiting shoppers, dispensaries, and craft farms alike,” continued Deschamps.

Marijuana customers usually are not purely on the mercy of the market. They’ll select to purchase more healthy merchandise for themselves and the surroundings. Solar+Earth’s Natural Part program might help and it will possibly serve for instance for the remainder of the trade.