Testing Good Farming out of Legal Marijuana in Massachusetts

Photo from flickr under creative commons license.

Connecting the marijuana industry to the Massachusetts small farm could change the economic and financial picture for farms across the Commonwealth, help to ensure local food security for generations, and provide a model for sustainable marijuana production on the East Coast. (As I and others have argued.)

There are 7,241 farms in Massachusetts according to MDAR. Over 79% of those are family owned small farms.

But as it currently stands, the Massachusetts farmers have been effectively excluded from the Adult Use market in MA. One reason is the technical difficulty of producing outdoor flower that passes the microbe testing required by the MA Adult Use Regulations, 935 CMR 500.160.

HERE’S THE PROBLEM: The Massachusetts regulations require microbe testing for recreational marijuana that is in direct tension with the best agricultural practices. Good growing practices incorporate and support microbial activity in the soil and plant canopy. Testing for the total presence of bacteria and fungus on marijuana, as currently required under MA law, does not differentiate between those microbes that are beneficial and those that are harmful.

To be clear, I am not advocating that MA does not require testing marijuana for microbial pathogens. I am arguing that MA, like most other legal states, should test for specific pathogens and allow for the presence of beneficial microbes. (And this requires more research.)

Biological balance removes the need to use poisons to fight pests and disease, and, when done correctly, can remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Over-simplified, there are currently two dominant, competing philosophies with respect to agriculture. The predominant agricultural model since roughly the end of WWII is based on simple salt nutrient applications, sterilization, and chemical elimination of biological threats to plant health. This form of agriculture is responsible for a significant portion of the environmental damage caused by humans.

In contrast, the so-called “regenerative” farming practices rely on a rich, biologically diverse and balanced environment in the soil and in the plant foliage. These practices can protect plant health, and can sequester carbon out of…