They write
California Forced Cannabis Operators to Use Millions of METRC Tags. Now the Tags Have Reportedly Tested Positive for Prop 65 Chemicals.
Key Takeaways
- Jeff Nordahl questions the safety of California’s METRC plant tags after lab tests showed they contain Prop 65 chemicals like lead and arsenic, raising concerns about worker safety.
- The lack of guidance on how to handle and dispose of these tags highlights a significant oversight by the state and regulatory bodies.
- Despite the serious implications, neither the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) nor UFCW responded to Jeff’s alerts regarding the safety of METRC tags.
- A recent proposal by DCC for group tagging indicates progress but does not address ongoing safety or disposal concerns related to existing tags.
- California needs clear, documented guidance on the safety and disposal of METRC tags to ensure worker safety and environmental responsibility.
Jeff Nordahl is not saying California’s METRC plant tags are definitely dangerous. That distinction matters, and it should be made clearly from the beginning.
What he is asking is more basic, more reasonable, and frankly more troubling: if California requires cannabis operators and workers to handle millions of these tags every year, and if lab testing shows the tags contain chemicals listed under Proposition 65, has anyone actually done a worker-safety analysis? Has anyone determined whether a warning is required? Has anyone issued handling guidance? Has anyone explained how operators are supposed to dispose of them?
Those are not conspiracy questions. Those are common-sense workplace safety and environmental questions.
A recent series of posts and reels from Jeff, reposted from @jade_grove_farm, pushed this issue from a cannabis compliance complaint into a larger accountability story. In his public service announcement, Jeff said METRC plant tags tested positive for Prop 65 chemicals, including lead, arsenic, and BPA. He also emphasized that he is not claiming the tags are dangerous. He is asking whether they might pose a concern for employees who handle hundreds or thousands of tags a day, and whether the public deserves clear guidance from the state and METRC.
That is the right frame for this story. It is not panic. It is not fearmongering. It is the kind of question regulators should have asked before forcing an entire industry to use these tags for years.
