The LA Times bought 49 inhalable products from licensed California dispensaries and delivery services and had three labs test them blind. Pesticide levels were lower than in its 2024 tests. The new chemicals are the problem.
What the testing found
- California's required panel covers 66 pesticides, with 14 more due in April 2028. Two labs also ran expanded screens, covering 376 pesticides in total.
- Pymetrozine, a reproductive toxin, showed up in five products from one manufacturer, at up to more than 6x the 2028 limit. It isn't on the state list until April 2028. The company suspects drift from nearby Salinas Valley food farms.
- Etridiazole, a likely carcinogen, turned up in five brands. Of dinotefuran, fenazaquin and oxamyl, found in two brands, the state tests for only oxamyl.
- For comparison, California monitors more than 500 chemicals on food.
What the regulator can see
- The Department of Cannabis Control's own lab can screen for fewer than half the pesticides the Times found, and it tested 35 shelf products statewide through late August.
- Its lab results typically take three to five months.
- Recalls: 266 products pulled in the five months after the 2024 series, then one pesticide recall so far this year.
What changed after 2024
Some brands cleaned up: one that failed for eight chemicals in 2024 was well within limits this year. At least three dispensary chains started their own testing, an industry certification group formed, and a new state law lets regulators spot-check labs.
The takeaway for operators: passing the state panel is a floor, not proof a product is clean. Fixed lists push risk toward chemicals no one is screening for yet.
Are you testing beyond the required panel, or relying on your COAs?
The full LA Times investigation, with its lab methods and results: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-11-08/california-losing-quest-for-clean-weed
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