Aspergillus and Cannabis

A Brief History of Aspergillus

Article 1 in a Series Covering the Intersection of Aspergillus and Cannabis.

Before I start on what’s going to be a very long and very intense series of stories about state cannabis regulations about Aspergillus, I want to say a few things.

I’ve written about this before. In fact, I’ve written about it more than once, but the first article I wrote caused my email (and other social media) to be filled with bullying and vitriol from several Oregon cannabis farmers and others within the industry. The more I looked at the toxic discourse around this issue, the less I wanted to say anything more about it.

I don’t make a living from cannabis, I am not in the industry, and even if I was — it wouldn’t be worth the personal harassment I’ve endured.

But Vin Deschamps, a personal friend who owns 54 Green Acres Farm, an organic cannabis farm in Southern Oregon, asked me (twice) to do a more thorough dive on all the issues. 54 Green Acres has embarked on a journey to prevent Aspergillus and other microbial contaminants by investing in both their dry and cure space and reevaluating all of their processing procedures.

Let me call out my own bias before I set it aside — I am a registered medical cannabis patient, for CPTSD and migraines. I also have auto-immune issues (which is not the same as being immunocompromised, but it’s also not far off). I vaporized…