
Urban-gro launched nationwide sales of Procidic2, which became the first state-registered organic pesticide labeled for cannabis crops May 5.
Procidic2, a fungicide and bactericide, was accepted and registered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture for Organic Cultural Use, the most recent of 18 states to register the product specifically for cannabis crops. The registered states include: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Three more states are in the final processes to register: Maryland, New Hampshire and Oregon, as well as the District of Columbia. Approval for those states is expected within the next two weeks, according to Steve Knauss, president of Greenspire Global, which manufacturers Procidic2.
The remaining two states, Arizona and New Mexico, are in the first application process with their respective State Departments of Agriculture. With Pennsylvania’s recent legalization of medical marijuana, urban-gro is starting paperwork for labeling there, says Knauss.
Procidic2 is a FIFRA 25b pesticide, meaning it is exempt from EPA registration under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act because it is classified as a minimum risk pesticide. The combination of organic acids in Procidic2 are classified as “Generally Recognized As Safe” or GRAS, according to a press release.
“Growers are grappling with the issue of protecting their plants while still remaining compliant with the industry’s fluctuating regulatory landscape,” says John Chandler, vice president of cultivation technologies at urban-gro.