California weed tests show drop in pesticides

Cannabis products sold in California legal dispensaries contain fewer pesticides than they did two years ago, but contamination persists for chemicals that state regulators do not routinely monitor. The Los Angeles Times commissioned private lab tests for 49 inhalable products purchased from licensed dispensaries and delivery services across the state. The results show a decrease in pesticide levels compared to a 2024 survey, yet the data reveals that many products still contained detectable amounts of unregulated substances.

The investigation focused primarily on California legal weed, though the scope included specific exceptions. One delivery service provided vapes packaged for sale in New York, and others added unlabeled pre-rolls as freebies. A single sample was also collected in Reno. To ensure blind testing, the Times obscured product labels before sending them to three state-licensed laboratories: Anresco Laboratories, Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs, and Excelbis Labs.

All three labs tested for the 66 pesticides monitored by California. Two of the labs provided expanded screening, covering a total of 376 pesticides. The testing period coincided with regulatory changes in the state. California adjusted permitted limits for some pesticides during the study, meaning some products that exceeded limits at the time of purchase now meet current standards. For other pesticides, state limits will not take effect until April 2028. The Times used these anticipated future limits to evaluate the products in the interim.

When no state pesticide limit existed, the study applied the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for pesticide residue safety testing on tobacco. This method provides a baseline for evaluating chemicals that lack specific cannabis regulations. The data includes brands such as Stiiizy, West Coast Cure, and Cam. Some items were tested multiple times or by different labs, resulting in duplicate entries in the final data tables.

The findings indicate that while the legal market has improved, consistency remains a challenge. Licensed delivery services sometimes provided mislabeled or unmarked products, complicating consumer identification. The lower pesticide levels represent a measurable shift from the 2024 baseline, but the presence of chemicals outside state testing lists continues to pose a variable risk to consumers. The study does not determine safety thresholds for every detected compound, relying instead on existing state and federal benchmarks.

The complete results are available in a searchable database. The Times selected the 49 products for the study, ensuring that labs conducted tests without knowledge of the brands involved. The data reflects the specific samples tested during the reporting period and does not account for batches sold outside that window. Consumers can search the table by brand to see specific test results for each product.