Ask a Stoner: Is There Such a Thing as Organic Marijuana?

Dear Stoner: Is there such a thing as organic marijuana? I recently bought a pre-roll, and on the label were things like ammonium nitrate, isopropyl alcohol, nitric acid and indole-3-butyric acid, just to name a few. Mike B.

Dear Mike: Those sound like growing nutrients (although the isopropyl alcohol might’ve been for hash, if you bought a caviar joint), which are standard for the cannabis industry. You’re not alone in wanting a product without a bunch of crap you’ve never heard of in it, but certification for organic cannabis is one of many logjams waiting on federal legalization. The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates organic standards, so even though dispensaries may claim to have organic products, there’s no regulatory body to officially designate them in “green” states.

Some dispensaries have taken steps toward transparency by joining the Organic Cannabis Association or the city’s Certifiably Green Denver program, which certify grows that follow rigorous growing and health standards. Still, even those organizations don’t and can’t officially label organically grown cannabis because of the feds, and most of the grows don’t use 100 percent organic products from seed to sale anyway; it’s just not financially viable.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t shops or home growers out there growing 100 percent organically, but you’ll have to pay for it — and it’s nearly impossible to prove that a strain is 100 percent organic. Sorry, bro.

Have a question for our Stoner? Email marijuana@westword.com.