A Woman Caught Valley Fever From Fungus Ridden Marijuana in California
Ever wonder about why many states are making a big deal about lab testing marijuana? A piece published in January’s British Medical Journal revealed that a 48-year-old woman in California came down with Valley Fever from the coccidioidomycosis fungus she was smoking with her marijuana. People with deficient immune systems are typically the ones most vulnerable to fungus in marijuana where combustion was involved, but this woman was otherwise healthy.
California has granted a six month period for the untested marijuana that is currently on shelves to be sold before the new legal marijuana structure mandates that all cannabis be lab tested. Lab testing is a challenge for many marijuana cultivators since it ends up being an added cost.
In some regions of California, the fungus Coccidioides Immitis is present in the soil. This fungus species can cause Coccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Cocci, Valley fever, California fever or desert rheumatism, in humans. When plants are cultivated in soil where this fungus is present, the spores inevitably end up on the plant.
To confirm their suspicion, the researchers took samples from the patient’s dispensary in Bakersfield. More than 90 percent of the marijuana plants tested were contaminated with pesticides, and crops from 20 farms were tested positive for mold.
In most of the women’s preferred outdoor strains, researchers found Coccidioides Immitis spores in three out of nine samples. Researchers also found instances of Cryptococcus neofarns. The investigating doctors said it is possible that fungal spores can survive the burning that occurs when patients smoke the herb.
The idea of smoking or ingesting fungus or pesticides of any kind would typically be horrifying for most people, except for avid cannabis consumers that have happily been consuming illegal marijuana their whole lives. Has new information about what is growing on marijuana and what cultivators spray on their crops made lab testing cannabis seem like a good idea?
read more at marijuana.com
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california marijuanaCoccidioides ImmitisInfected marijuanalab testing marijuanamoldy marijuanaValley Fever
