Recently, one of our oils was selected for testing by the OK Cannabis Testing program. Three series of tests were performed on this batch of oil, by two different state licensed testing labs. One of these tests passed for pesticides while the other tests showed one pesticide just over the fail limits. We are absolutely surprised by these results and will immediately begin removing this product from stores. Even with this ambiguity in test results, we will be initiating a recall for this lot of oil. We take great pride in producing a clean, high quality product, and we don’t want anything on store shelves that we can’t say with certainty is 100% below the state pesticide limits.
As a state-licensed cannabis Processor, it is absolutely our responsibility to ensure the material we purchase from licensed farmers is grown honestly and produces concentrates that are compliant with the state law. The presence of the compound in this batch of oil is confusing and worrisome. We tested the flower for pesticides before we made the oil in question and those results showed only a small trace of a single compound – well below the legal threshold set by the state. The flower test also showed no presence of the particular pesticide that caused the oil to fail. According to the labs, pesticides that are detected in flower at “trace” levels can often result from incidental environmental contact without the grower actually using this pesticide and we do not believe this grower was mis-using illegal pesticides or undisclosed pesticides.
We then submitted the oil produced from that tested flower to the full testing regime required by the State of Washington. This required testing, however, does not include pesticide screening and in this instance, we did not go above and beyond the state testing requirements. We chose not to test the finished oil for the presence of pesticides based on the results of a clean flower test.
This was a mistake on our part and we offer our sincerest apologies.
Our entire team has worked very hard to ensure the statements we are making about our products are truthful, and that the products we make are clean. As the popularity of our products has increased, we have grown and learned as a company. At the beginning of 2019 we put in place stricter procedures to help ensure that the flower we purchase from producers is free of pesticides. Since July of last year, we have conducted nearly 100 pesticide tests in our effort to identify and eliminate any source of pesticide in our products. Earlier this year we approached Confidence Analytics about participating in their “Tested with Confidence” program, and we now have eight lots of oil on store shelves that bear the “Tested with Confidence” sticker on them. Beginning in February we committed to testing every batch of finished oil for pesticides through this program and all of the oils we’ve produced since February have been tested and verified through Confidence Analytics.
We decided to test through Confidence Analytics because of their reputation in the industry and our common goal of ensuring clean, pesticide-tested oils. We also have a lot respect for what the OK Cannabis program is trying to accomplish for the industry, and we fully support their goals. We are working with all parties involved to understand what happened and we are reviewing our own procedures to ensure the changes we made in February are adequate to protect our consumers. All we want is for the people that are seeking relief through our products to know that they are getting the quality oil they deserve.
From Matthew Friedlander, Claude Hayes, and Corey Williams– Owners of Skagit Organics
