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DPR releases list of pesticide products that meet California’s criteria for legal use on cannabis

December 18, 2024

Today, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation released a new resource to support compliance in the legal cannabis market: a list of 260 pesticide products that meet California’s criteria for legal use on cannabis.

Since cannabis is illegal under federal law, there are no pesticide products registered for use specifically on cannabis.

When cannabis was legalized in California, DPR identified criteria for legal pesticide use on cannabis cultivation in the state. A pesticide meets these criteria if the active ingredients found in the product is:

1. a minimum risk (“25(b)”) product, which is a pesticide that U.S. EPA and DPR have determined to be safe, effective and exempt from registration due to the low-risk nature of the product, and is also exempt from federal pesticide residue tolerance requirements, or
2. a product that is exempt from residue tolerance requirements and the use of the product would not be legally considered a use in conflict with the registered label.

Products used on cannabis, including minimum risk 25(b) products, must be used in accordance with applicable label, regulatory, and other legal requirements, including directions for use, storage and disposal, personal protective equipment for applicators and any other requirements.

The list released today includes 260 registered products exempt from pesticide residue tolerances set by U.S. EPA that meet California’s legal use criteria. It does not include available 25(b) products that are also legal to use on cannabis in California.

Read the press release here.

View the list of pesticide products that meet California's criteria for use on cannabis here.

Who We Are

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation protects human health and the environment by fostering safer and sustainable pest management practices and operating a robust regulatory system to monitor and manage the sale and use of pesticides across the state. DPR’s work includes registering all pesticides sold or used in California, conducting scientific evaluation of pesticides to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment, investing in innovative research to encourage the development and adoption of integrated pest management tools and practices, monitoring for pesticides in the air and water, conducting outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to safety information, and enforcing pesticide regulations in coordination with 55 County Agricultural Commissioners and their 500 field inspectors.