Hemp, Marijuana, and the Truth About Safety

 

The marijuana industry has recently leaned into a narrative that hemp products are “unregulated, unsafe, and full of pesticides, toxins, and heavy metals.” The talking point is clear: they want lawmakers and the public to believe that marijuana is safe because it is “regulated,” while hemp is dangerous because it is not.

But is that really true? Let’s break it down.

Mandatory Testing Doesn’t Guarantee Safety

Marijuana products are subject to mandatory testing in most states. On paper, that sounds reassuring — until you look at the track record.

• Licensed marijuana products are frequently recalled for contamination, including pesticides, mold, yeast, and heavy metals. Colorado, Michigan, and Nevada have all issued recalls in just the last few years.
• Lab shopping and inflated results are common. In California and Nevada, labs have been caught “adjusting” THC numbers or overlooking contamination to keep clients happy.
• Rules aren’t uniform. Each state sets its own thresholds for contaminants. What fails in one state may pass in another.

So while testing is mandatory, it doesn’t mean marijuana products are automatically safer. It just means there is a checkpoint — one that still fails often enough to raise concern.

Medical Marijuana Isn’t “100% Clean”

Marijuana lobbyists often argue that medical cannabis is tracked “seed to sale” and therefore guaranteed clean. The truth?

• Seed-to-sale is about tracking, not purity. It’s designed to monitor inventory and collect taxes — not to guarantee consumer safety.
• Even medical marijuana markets have seen product recalls for mold and pesticides. If seed-to-sale were a guarantee of safety, that would never happen.

Cannabis Has Been Consumed Safely for Generations

Adult-use marijuana only became subject to mandatory testing in the past decade. Yet cannabis has been consumed by millions of people for more than a century, with no evidence of widespread harm from “unknown toxins” in the plant itself.

That history matters: if cannabis were inherently prone to tobacco-style “hidden dangers,” we’d already know it.

The “Tobacco” Argument Against Hemp

One argument critics raise is: “What if hemp cannabinoids are the next tobacco — widely used now, but proven harmful later?”

This comparison doesn’t hold up:

• Cannabis is not tobacco. Unlike tobacco, which was linked to cancer after decades of mass use, cannabinoids like delta-8, THCP, and HHC are already known and studied. Their structures and effects are not hidden or mysterious.
• Well-characterized compounds. These cannabinoids occur naturally in cannabis, even if only in trace amounts, and their receptor interactions are documented.
• Consumer protection laws already apply. If a product contains contamination or mislabeling, hemp businesses can already be held liable — just like with tobacco, food, or supplements.

The real issue isn’t the cannabinoids — it’s quality control in manufacturing. That’s why the right path is simple: enforce clean production and testing standards, not fear-based analogies.

What About “Unknowns” in Making Delta-8 or HHC?

Another common claim is that “unknown byproducts” are created during conversion from CBD to cannabinoids like delta-8 or HHC.

Here’s the reality:

• All cannabis extracts can create byproducts. Marijuana extracts made with butane, propane, or ethanol can also leave behind residual solvents and unwanted compounds.
• The chemistry is known. Conversion byproducts are cannabinoids like delta-9, delta-10, or CBN — not unknown poisons.
• It’s a quality issue, not a cannabinoid issue. Contamination happens when a lab cuts corners. The solution is batch testing for solvents, pesticides, and heavy metals — something many hemp companies already do.

The “Unknown Molecule” Argument

Some labs testing hemp-derived cannabinoids report “unknown molecules” in converted products. Opponents use this to argue that hemp should be banned until every peak on the test results is fully identified.

Here’s why that argument doesn’t hold up:

• Unknown ≠ dangerous. Analytical instruments often flag compounds not yet in the lab’s database. Many of these “unknowns” are simply minor cannabinoids or harmless plant compounds that aren’t cataloged.
• Not unique to hemp. Marijuana extracts regularly show “unclassified peaks” too. If this logic were applied consistently, many marijuana concentrates would also be disqualified.
• This is about lab quality, not the cannabinoids. When sloppy or low-budget conversions are done, you may see unexpected byproducts. Reputable hemp producers using GMP standards don’t have that problem.
• Existing consumer protection laws already cover this. If an unsafe byproduct were ever discovered, the company would already face liability under existing law — the same way it works for supplements, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals.

👉 The right approach isn’t to ban hemp. It’s to require clean manufacturing, transparency, and batch testing so that “unknowns” are identified and minimized — exactly how every other consumer industry operates.

My Position on Safety

Critics sometimes claim that if I speak out against seed-to-sale tracking or marijuana-style mandatory testing, I must not care about safety. That is false.

Here’s what I stand for:

• ✅ Strong safety standards: Hemp products should be tested for pesticides, heavy metals, microbes, and residual solvents.
• ✅ Transparency: COAs should be available to consumers so they know exactly what they’re buying.
• ✅ Age restrictions: Products should be for adults 21+ only.
• ✅ Accountability: Hemp companies should be subject to consumer protection and product liability laws, just like food, beverage, and supplement companies.

What I don’t support is:

• ❌ Seed-to-sale tracking systems that add cost but don’t make products safer.
• ❌ Overregulation designed by marijuana lobbyists to push small hemp businesses out of the market.

I’m not fighting against safety. I’m fighting for smart, effective regulation that protects consumers without destroying small businesses.

The Real Solution: Fair and Equal Standards

The marijuana industry’s safety narrative isn’t about protecting consumers. It’s about protecting their turf. They want lawmakers to believe that hemp is dangerous so they can fold it under the marijuana monopoly.

The better path forward is simple:

• Age gating (21+).
• Label accuracy & batch traceability.
• Basic safety testing (pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, microbes).

That’s what consumers need. That’s what responsible hemp companies already provide.

Conclusion

Mandatory marijuana testing does not equal guaranteed safety. Hemp is not the “next tobacco,” and cannabinoids like delta-8 or HHC are not mysterious toxins — they are plant compounds that require the same clean manufacturing and quality standards as any other consumable.

The hemp industry isn’t asking for special treatment. We’re asking for fair, reasonable, and uniform safety standards that protect consumers without crushing small businesses.