WATSONVILLE, CA — Want to buy organic carrots? No problem. Organic strawberries? Widely available. Organic honey? Try your local grocery store. But organic medical marijuana? Doesn’t exist - at least not in an official sense.

Organic crops and products are certified by private agencies through the U.S. Department of Agriculture - a program developed after decades of advocacy by organic farmers and their allies. Pot - medicinal or otherwise - need not apply.

‘What the USDA doesn’t recognize as a legal crop, we can’t certify because we’re certifying to their standards,’ said Jane Wade, development specialist at Santa Cruz-based California Certified Organic Farmers, the largest organic certification agency in the country. ‘That leaves medical marijuana out in the cold.’

It also puzzles consumers interested in making sure they’re not ingesting pesticides or other toxins along with their chosen pain reliever.

Wade, who gets calls about organic marijuana certification ‘a few times a month,’ said people are frustrated by her response.

‘They ask, ‘Why can’t you fix this?” she said.

Wade said California Certified Organic Farmers worked for nearly three decades to get the USDA program in place. She suggested the medical marijuana community can take action as well.

‘The path is already trodden,’ Wade said. ‘As long […]