State and Denver inspectors on Tuesday ordered a recall of marijuana extracts sold by Mahatma Concentrates that The Denver Post revealed contained high levels of unapproved pesticides.

Mahatma co-owner Brett Mouser confirmed the recall of products that were derived from marijuana plants grown by a supplier, Treatments Unlimited.

Treatments co-owner Chase Bradshaw has acknowledged that the Denver company used the unapproved pesticides. Treatments earlier this year had a number of its plants quarantined by city officials because of pesticide concerns and later released.

Tuesday’s recall was ordered by the Denver Department of Environmental Health and the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division after a story by The Post revealed that lab tests detected three unapproved pesticides in a pair of Mahatma products.

The tests commissioned by The Post found levels of myclobutanil and imidacloprid in Mahatma’s Black Label Grapefruit Diesel wax that were six times the maximum amount allowed by the federal government on any food product. The pesticides also were found in Mahatma’s Black Label Alpha Blue shatter but at lower levels. Measurable amounts of avermectin were found in both.

Only Mahatma products showing an origin number of 403-00144 on their labels are subject to the recall. It was unclear how many products with that origin number were sold.

Mouser said he is preparing to handle returned products.

“Hold placards were placed on locked storage units for when recalled product comes back into Mahatma,” he told The Post in an e-mail. “Once product reaches us on this recall, we will be sending out for testing, and once results are back and show passed, then the product will be released from city of Denver’s hold. If product does not pass, we will be quarantining and contacting the MED for further instruction.”

Tuesday’s actions are part of “a supply-chain investigation,” according to Dan Rowland, spokesman for Denver’s office of marijuana policy, adding that additional recalls are possible.

Inspectors visited Mahatma’s facilities and pored over records and products. Treatments also operates Altitude: The Dispensary shops in Denver. Bradshaw said he expects agency inspectors to visit his facility Wednesday.

Pesticides typically are applied while a plant is growing, not after it has been harvested, dried and sold.

The Post’s investigation found Mahatma had inadvertently mislabeled its products to indicate the concentrates came from plants it had grown. The pesticides were not included in the product labels’ lists of ingredients.

State law requires labels to reflect any pesticide, herbicide or contaminant that was used at any stage of a marijuana product’s processing. Although the law also requires cannabis businesses to test for pesticides, that provision has not been enforced.

Mouser previously said Mahatma’s labels are only as accurate as the information provided to the company.

“We’re going by what our clients give us, as far as an ingredients list,” he told The Post. “We go over ingredients lists, … and we check that list against the approved pesticides list. If we find something that isn’t on the list, we notify the processing client.”

The pesticides found in The Post’s tests are among hundreds the Colorado Department of Agriculture has not approved for use on marijuana because product labels restrict their use to certain plants and crops or to specific locations such as open fields and residential gardens.

Because marijuana is illegal under federal law, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will not certify any pesticide for use on cannabis or allow any testing. As a result, there are no safety limits established for their use specific to cannabis or their ingestion by consumers.

However, the products are allowed on other consumable items such as strawberries, tomatoes and grapes, although the level of pesticide residues allowed on each varies.

The Post found pesticide levels as much as six times the highest amount allowed on a edible food crop and as high as 1,800 times the level Denver officials allowed to be on released plants it had quarantined earlier this year over pesticide concerns.

Enforcement of the state’s list of allowable pesticides is sporadic at best, with most state and city officials responding to complaints rather than inspecting each facility.

Colorado had about five years of medical marijuana cultivation and sales before the state in 2013 began compiling a list of which pesticides could be used on the plants. Officials admit that that reflects an imperfect system.

Colorado’s marijuana czar, Andrew Freedman, said the state is dealing with the problem as best it can.

“Many growers are new to regulated pesticide use. Beyond that, like banking, the pesticide regulatory system is heavily built on federal involvement,” said Freedman, director of Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office of marijuana coordination. “I know that’s not a completely satisfying answer, and honestly I wish we had these challenges solved by Day One. But we’re working toward an enforceable solution that also protects consumers from other contaminants, such as molds.”

David Migoya: 303-954-1506, dmigoya@denverpost.com or twitter.com/davidmigoya

Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394, rbaca@denverpost.com or twitter.com/bruvs