Moldy Government Marijuana Prompts Action From NIDA (with video)
By William Stash Jones
Oregon Cannabis Connection
The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) has determined that they have mold in their weed. The federal agency has been cultivating marijuana for research since the 1970’s and is the only authorized facility to obtain cannabis for research purposes. For years, researchers have complained about the potency and quality of the medicine coming from the facility, which is located at the University of Mississippi in a well secured area.
There have been other stories about the quality of the government cannabis. The Washington Post recently did a feature on the NIDA cannabis and it showed many deficiencies in their product. From lower THC levels to strains that are very limited, the operation in Mississippi is not up to par with the state-of-the-art facilities in legal marijuana states like Colorado, Oregon, and California.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has supplied marijuana to researchers through our drug supply program for over 40 years without any known health consequences from contaminants. Questions have recently been raised about mold levels in NIDA-supplied marijuana. All plant materials contain mold and yeast, which are naturally occurring in air and soil.
There is currently no universally accepted standard for levels of mold and yeast on marijuana and different health organizations set cutoffs for acceptable levels spanning an enormous range [from 500-200,000 colony forming units (CFU)/g]. In response, NIDA is conferring with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine what analyses and specifications are appropriate for NIDA-supplied marijuana.
The video below was produced by NIDA and visits their Marijuana farm at the University of Mississippi, the only federally approved marijuana cultivation facility in the country.
