BREAKING: Calif. pesticides proposal would impose new costs

[Agricultural courses] Grubbs Vocational College-Students spraying Irish potatoes. University of Texas at Arlington Photograph Collection

The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) proposed changes to pesticide regulation that would impose significant new costs and likely drive many labs out of business, according to the agency. The stricter rules, released Friday, would require testing for additional pesticides and create new systems for measuring the presence of pesticides and appropriate limits for each. 

The proposed changes, which would be the most significant reworking to pesticide testing since California's REC market opened in 2018, would require labs to shoulder one-time up-front costs of $935,420 and recurring annual expenses of $427,590 . . .