Pesticide & Fertilizer Use on Cannabis

To assist growers authorized by I-502 or I-692 who use pesticides for the production of cannabis in Washington, WSDA has developed a list of pesticides [PDF 220kB] that meet WSDA Criteria [PDF 120kB] for use in cannabis production. Inclusion on the list is not an endorsement or a recommendation regarding the use of any specific pesticide for the production of cannabis in Washington. The list only includes registered pesticides that are allowable for use in cannabis production as defined by the above criteria. The list has been provided to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board and the Washington State Department of Health and will be updated by WSDA as needed. 

For general questions about the list, or to request that a product be reviewed for inclusion on the list, please email Laurel.Schmalz@agr.wa.gov. Please include the product brand name, registration number, and company name in your request. If you are a pesticide company or designated agent, you may also send the request directly to your assigned Registration Specialist or to pestreg@agr.wa.gov when submitting new pesticide applications or revised labels.

A searchable list of all Washington registered pesticides is available from Washington State University Pesticide Information Center Online (PICOL) database. You can easily find those pesticides allowed for use on cannabis:

• Locate the Menu on the left side of the "Pesticide Information Center Online (PICOL) Database" web page
• Click "Searches" and then select "Quick"
• Click "I-502/I-692 (WA Only)" in the "Express Searches" box

You can also refine your search. For example, you could develop a list of pesticides for mite control on cannabis, find all products with a certain active ingredient, or search by pesticide type. Tutorials on I-502 Compliance Searches in PICOL are available on the PICOL website. FAQs and other Video Tutorials for using PICOL can also be found in the "Help" portion of the PICOL Menu.
 

Cannabis growers authorized by I-502 or I-692 who use commercial fertilizers for the production of cannabis in Washington can use any fertilizer that is registered by WSDA. If the fertilizer product also contains a pesticide, the pesticide must be allowed for use on cannabis.

The purpose of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is to protect agricultural employees from pesticides and their residues. WSDA has developed WPS Guidance for Cannabis Growers. The regulation requires agricultural employers to:

• Notify their employees when pesticide applications occur.
• Ensure that employees have received training specific to their potential exposure to pesticides.
• Provide adequate protective equipment and decontamination facilities to employees exposed to pesticides.
• Monitor employees using highly toxic (Category I) pesticides.
• Facilitate medical treatment for any employee who exhibits signs of pesticide poisoning.

Agricultural employers include owners or managers of farms, forests, greenhouses, or nurseries where pesticides are used in the production of agricultural plants, including cannabis. They are also commercial applicators that apply pesticides to these sites.

If the pesticide label that you are applying includes "Agricultural Use Requirements", workers must be trained on the requirements of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS). There are three options to train workers on WPS requirements:

• Get a private applicator's license from the WSDA, and train your workers on WPS requirements.
• Attend a WPS Train-the-Trainer course and train your workers on WPS requirements.
• Have an appropriately licensed or trained individual do the worker training for you.

WSDA has developed guidance to help marijuana growers understand licensing requirements to apply pesticides on cannabis.

WSDA has developed a technical information bulletin [PDF 115kB] to help cannabis growers understand and comply with chemigation and fertigation requirements.

• Chemigation is the use of an irrigation system to apply a pesticide or a system maintenance compound.
• Fertigation is the use of an irrigation system to apply commercial fertilizer, soil amendment, or reclaimed water from food processing and wastewater treatment facilities.

Your local fire department may have additional requirements for pesticide storage.

The goal of this program is to properly dispose of unused or unusable pesticides to prevent human and animal exposure, prevent use of cancelled pesticides on crops and to eliminate the potential source of contamination to the environment.