By Max Sargent

From the micro-grow up to the commercial operation, mold and bud rot are a main concern of any cannabis grower. Recognising the early signs of a mold infestation, and knowing how to prevent it, is perhaps one of the most crucial skills a grower needs to learn. Prevention is the best way to keep cannabis clear from infestation, and for sure it’s easier than trying to cure an infected plant. Treating mold and bud rot is tough work, and most of the time it’s better to simply remove and destroy infected plants.

Smoking or vaping moldy cannabis flowers can be harmful and must be completely avoided. However, a tiny amount of potential pathogens might be contained even in properly dried, “clean” cannabis flowers—the same goes for vegetables. The inhalation of what remains of some of these organisms is perfectly tolerated by a healthy stoner, but those who use cannabis for medicinal purposes, or who have a compromised respiratory system, might be more at risk for developing health issues. That’s where the irradiated cannabis debate comes in.

THE POST-HARVEST PROCESS OF IRRADIATION

The safety of food and herb irradiation has been debated for decades. When food is irradiated, high-frequency alpha or gamma rays kill E. coli, salmonella, and other microbes, as well as parasites and molds. The United States first approved irradiation for food products in 1958, and for many years this process has been deemed safe by the World Health Organization. Food irradiation is permitted by over 60 countries, but not on just any kind of food. Dried herbs, spices, potatoes, onions, wheat, and fresh and frozen ground beef are among the most commonly irradiated foods. Regulations usually state that irradiation shall not be used as a substitute for hygiene and good manufacturing or agricultural practices, and that radiation levels should be kept as low as possible.

MEDICAL CANNABIS MICROBIAL SAFETY STANDARDS

Pharmaceutical regulations specify that medical cannabis derivatives must comply to strict standards regarding microbial contamination. European, US, and Canadian standards for inhaled medical preparations require that certain pathogens, such as mold, are completely absent. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to grow and process cannabis plants under completely sterile conditions, nor keep contamination levels below the required limits.

Decontamination of medical cannabis is thus deemed a necessity, and the only option is to use ionising radiation because other decontamination treatments would alter the chemical content and texture of the flower. Nevertheless, many patients claim that cannabis products treated by irradiation have a different taste or effect, pointing to a change in the original biochemical content.

From the commercial medical cannabis grower’s standpoint, irradiation is often viewed as an irreplaceable way to ensure a safe and clean end product, even if a few of them claim they don’t require this process to secure contaminant-free cannabis.

Killing Mold: Irradiation

A COMPROMISE BETWEEN RISKS AND BENEFITS

Almost all of the major cannabis brands officially approved for medical use employ irradiation. However, some patients argue that irradiated cannabis might not be as safe and effective as completely “natural” bud. And while it’s unlikely that irradiation is enough to adversely interact with our DNA or fundamental bodily processes, could it damage the terpene or cannabinoid content within cannabis flowers, thus altering the flavor and effects?

A study by cannabis researcher Arno Hazekamp, and commissioned by Dutch medical cannabis producer Bedrocan, evaluated the effects of irradiation[1] on different cannabis varieties with a reliable methodology. Dried flower samples were analyzed before and after a standard gamma-irradiation treatment. The irradiation didn’t change the general terpene profile, yet it slightly reduced the content of some terpenes. No reduction or alteration in THC or CBD content, humidity, or physical structure was observed. That said, this study is not without its flaws, and it will probably be a while before you start seeing home-growers irradiating their cannabis.

Current data supports the use of this highly regulated industrial process for medical cannabis flowers, at least until other, more advanced methods have been developed and implemented. Dan Sutton, founder and CEO of licensed BC cannabis producer Tantalus Labs, estimates that irradiation is used by about 80% of licensed Canadian cannabis cultivators to meet the stringent guidelines imposed by the Public Health Agency. The same trend is happening in Europe, while the improvement in hygienic standards for cultivation and processing is reducing irradiation levels to a minimum.

It doesn't appear that properly irradiated cannabis is unsafe, so there's probably no reason to worry about smoking it, and also no reason not to keep improving our home-growing technique and environment while we wait for more advanced methods to become accessible.

External Resources:
  1. Evaluating the Effects of Gamma-Irradiation for Decontamination of Medicinal Cannabis https://bedrocan.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: