The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division (PPPM) now has lists of pesticides approved for use on hemp and marijuana. The lists can be found on MDARD’s pesticide registration website and will be updated as products are added.
The term “pesticides” includes all types of products that prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests, such as insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Growth regulators are also pesticides. While the hemp industry is often geared toward organic production, there may be times when registered hemp growers find the need to treat for pests.
To add a new pesticide to the list, a requestor must complete an evaluation request form and provide a copy of the label for review. The product is evaluated for label content by PPPM’s toxicologist to ensure the product is appropriate for application to hemp or marijuana. Along with the lists of approved products and evaluation request form, FAQ documents are also provided.
Currently, only products on the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) list of hemp-labeled products have been approved by MDARD, but minimal risk products will be added in the future (these products are called “25(b)” pesticides and are registered by MDARD but not by the EPA). Additionally, as products are renewed annually, any 25(b) products will be required to list hemp or marijuana on the product label to be included on the lists.
Registered hemp growers performing applications to their hemp crops do not need to be certified applicators to apply general use pesticides. However, federal worker protection requirements and state pesticide use laws and regulations must be followed. See the Cannabis and Pesticide Use bulletin for more information or call 800-292-3939 and ask to speak to your district pesticide inspector.