Even marijuana can’t escape the organic craze

Jarrik Farrand, Staff Reporter

Think again before buying “organic marijuana.” It probably doesn’t exist yet.

The nationwide trend of organic everything has naturally spread into the marijuana market with consumers craving organically-grown marijuana.

Anyone can conduct a quick Google search for “organic marijuana” and turn up multiple results of marijuana farms who claim to grow organically, but that doesn’t inherently mean they are.

In order for a product to be categorized as organic, it has to be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and must meet its standards.

The USDA’s website states that organic products have to be grown without the aid of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation or bioengineering.

The USDA also monitors the product from farm to table, including soil and water quality, pest control, livestock practices and rules for food additives.

Because the USDA is a federally mandated program, it currently does not oversee marijuana which is legal at the state level in Washington. So even though some farms may be following the standards for organically grown crops, they are doing so without actual federal officiality. Even if the product is in fact organic, it can’t be “officially” organic per se the USDA.

One local marijuana farm worker who wishes to remain anonymous said, “The FDA doesn’t deal with [marijuana] yet since it’s still federally illegal. So any farm claiming to be organic is using false advertising and runs the risk of being sued by the FDA.”

Although some farms may actually be growing organically; others might be abusing the term and using it as a selling point in order to draw in more customers.

For anyone onboard the organic hype train, it may be best to wait until marijuana becomes legalized at the federal level and the USDA can verify and monitor farms for their organic standards.