ORGANIC VEGGIES, WINE - WHY NOT POT?

Mendocino County Asking State For Permission To Place Label On Medical
Marijuana Crop

Mendocino County, known for its organic wine and beer, may soon add
marijuana to its list of certified organic products, a sign cannabis has
become a mainstream crop.

County agriculture officials are asking the state if they can legally
certify medical marijuana as an organic product and regulate local pot
farms, as they do pear orchards, vineyards and other crops.

"Only in Mendocino County," laughed Carre Brown, administrator of the
county Farm Bureau, which represents farmers.

"We're going to be groundbreakers again. Maybe," said county Assistant
Agricultural Commissioner Tony Linegar.

Breaking ground is nothing new in Mendocino County, which last year became
the first county in the nation to ban genetically modified crops. It's only
natural that marijuana would become the next frontier to regulate in the
county, long known for its tolerance of the pot culture by local law
enforcement.

Since California voters legalized medical marijuana in 1996, Mendocino pot
farmers have started openly cultivating their plants in suburban backyards.

Now, they are seeking government guidance with their pest and pesticide
problems.

Last year, 12 people brought in plants or buds to the agriculture
commissioner's office to have their pests diagnosed, Linegar said.

"I was a little nervous sitting at my desk with a 6-foot pot plant," he said.

Two medical marijuana caregivers - people who legally grow pot for patients
- - have requested organic certification from the agriculture department,
Linegar said.

Canada certifies organically-grown medical marijuana, but Mendocino County
would be the first government agency in the United States to provide an
organic seal of authenticity, said Dane Wilkins, director of the Northern
California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana
Laws.

"I think it's a great idea because people who are sick or in pain using it
medicinally deserve access to pot grown without toxic chemicals," he said.

In addition to asking the state if the county can certify organic pot,
Agricultural Commissioner Dave Bengston wants to know if he should be
inspecting marijuana "nurseries" for pests and ensuring cannabis club
scales are accurate - duties his department performs for legitimate businesses.

He also wants to know if it is appropriate to advise medical marijuana
growers on pests and pesticide use, something the department has been doing
in a limited fashion with approval from local law enforcement.

Although Proposition 215 legalized medical pot, Linegar and Bengston are
worried the federal government, which still considers it illegal, may take
issue with the county's policy of helping growers.

"The legal waters are murky," Bengston wrote in a Jan. 21 letter to state
Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura.

But the need is clear, Linegar said.

It's the county agriculture department's job to monitor pests and pesticide
use to ensure public safety, he said. There have been reported cases of
pot-related pesticide illness in other counties, Linegar said.

"We're trying to avoid that situation in our county," he said.

But it is difficult to give pesticide advice to medical pot growers.

Because marijuana is considered illegal under federal law, chemical
companies have not developed pesticides to safely treat its pests, Linegar
said.

Getting a pesticide studied and registered "costs millions of dollars," he
said.

"If it's not a legal crop and they don't see a market for it, they don't
want to spend the money," Linegar said.

As a result, medical marijuana growers - particularly those in it for the
money alone - sometimes use dangerous pesticides to save their valuable
plants, he said.

In Mendocino County, plants can produce upwards of three pounds worth
$2,000 to $4,000 a pound on average.

"There's so much money involved, people don't care" which pesticides they
use, Linegar said.

Indoor medical marijuana is particularly prone to mite infestations,
Linegar said.

But last year, the big problem in all gardens was corn earworm, he said.

The worm burrows deep into marijuana buds and leaves bug feces, or frass,
inside.

"It makes a horrible mess. It really ruins the product," Linegar said.

Linegar said he's discussed his department's predicament with a state
pesticide official, who saw no problem with assisting medical marijuana
growers.

But the county wants clear direction from the state - in writing - before
ag officials begin regulating medical marijuana growers.

The county has not yet received a reply from the state, Linegar said.

"I know it's being discussed in smoke-filled rooms," he quipped.