Pesticide Use in Legal Marijuana Reveals Conflicts and Safety Concerns / Environmental Attorney Telisport Putsavage Leads NY State Bar’s First Look at Growing Problem
Albany, NY, New York, NY (PRWEB) January 26, 2017 -- The discrepancies and ambiguous legal positions regarding the use of necessary pesticides to ensure the safety of legal cannabis will be front and center at the annual meeting of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) tomorrow, January 27th, 2017. Environmental attorney and former state regulator Telisport W. Putsavage, founder of the recently formed Putsavage PLLC law firm and a Principal in the scientific and regulatory consulting practice EnviroReg LLC, is moderating the first panel ever convened at the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) to address the conflicts regarding pesticide regulation in the cultivation of marijuana for medical and recreational uses.
New York is among several states that recently opened the door for the use of marijuana and cannabis substances to help in the treatment of select, qualifying and serious medical conditions. In addition, eight states, among them Massachusetts, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and California have legalized adult recreational use. The New York State Department of Health reports that 833 medical practitioners and nearly 13,000 patients have registered under New York's Compassionate Care Act.
The cultivation of marijuana for such programs is conducted in large commercial greenhouses and warehouses, and face insect and pest pressures that any large commercial greenhouse would. However, under Federal law, a pesticide may only be used on crops listed on a pesticide product label. In light of the controlled substance classification of marijuana, no pesticide is labeled for application to marijuana.
For the January 27th NYSBA event, Putsavage is bringing in experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the private sector to discuss this dilemma. They will address current regulatory and industry approaches to managing pest and disease management and resulting pesticide use.
Putsavage sees an urgent need to devise a workable system to ensure appropriate resources to deal with insects and disease that will ensure the integrity of the pesticide regulatory structure and the safety of patients and users.
“Within these expanding markets, the growers, new marijuana patients and users all have the mutual desire for healthy crops and products safe to consume. That requires the careful selection of appropriate products coupled with strict adherence to proper use requirements,” says Putsavage. “With no pesticides approved for marijuana under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), growers are left without Federal regulatory guidance."
“The growth of cannabis products is an emerging, promising industry for many state economies and needs to be treated with the same seriousness and care that EPA uses with other industries,” added Putsavage.
For further information or to request an interview please contact:
Jeff Roberts 646-761-2795 / jroberts(at)firstgenstrategies.com
About Putsavage PLLC and EnviroReg LLC
Telisport W. Putsavage opened Putsavage PLLC in 2016. He has practiced environmental law for more than 35 years in both public and private roles. Previously he was an Assistant Attorney General with the Maryland Department of the Maryland Department of the Environment and an Assistant Counsel at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He represents a wide range of companies in the pesticide industry on registration and regulatory strategies, scientific data compensation, administrative enforcement, litigation and business matters. Mr. Putsavage works closely with EnviroReg, a scientific consulting practice serving the pesticide industry in which he is a Principal. Founded in 2016, and with offices near Washington, DC and in Albany, NY, EnviroReg includes scientists and regulatory experts with industry and research experience and extensive state and federal regulatory and enforcement experience who advise on state and federal regulatory and enforcement matters across the pesticide arena including agricultural chemicals, structural and residential pesticides and biocides.
For more information about Putsavage PLLC please visit http://www.environmentallaw.us
For more information about EnviroReg please visit https://enviroreg.com/.
For more information about the January 27th, 2017 Environmental Law Section event at the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) annual meeting please visit http://www.nysba.org/am2017ELS/ .
Jeff Roberts, Putsavage PLLC, http://www.environmentallaw.us, +1 646-761-2795, [email protected]
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