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(Oregonian file photo)

Oregon has issued its first "health alert" for cannabis tainted with high levels of pesticide -- in this case, two strains sold by a McMinnville dispensary.

About 130 people bought the dried flowers between Oct. 15 and Oct. 17. Lab testing found the products were contaminated with spinosad, a common insecticide used in the marijuana industry.

The notice represents a major change in how Oregon deals with pesticides and marijuana.

Producers have long used pesticides to combat mold and mites, common problems that plague the plant, but it wasn't until this year that the state began to craft a tougher policy on how to protect consumers.

An investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive last year found lax state rules, inconsistent lab practices and inaccurate test results put pesticide-laced cannabis on dispensary shelves.

The Oregon Health Authority now requires that labs testing marijuana be state-authorized. The agency also established residual amounts of pesticide allowed on marijuana products.

The so-called "action level" for spinosad is 0.2 parts per million. Green Leaf Lab of Portland detected 42 parts per million on samples of a strain called Dr. Jack and 22 parts per million on another strain called Marion Berry, both sold by New Leaf, a medical marijuana dispensary on Northeast Riverside Drive in McMinnville.

Under new rules, marijuana testing labs must alert the health authority when products fail to meet state pesticide standards.

The state declined to identify the producer, citing the confidentiality requirements of the state's medical marijuana law. The dried flowers were produced by a medical marijuana grower.

The market is shifting to a system overseen by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

Officials with commission couldn't say late Friday whether the producers of contaminated marijuana would be publicly identified under their rules for recreational marijuana.

"We will be double checking our rules to ensure we can properly protect the public," said Rob Patridge, chairman of the liquor control commission.

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184; @noellecrombie