Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Now Allows Pesticide Use on Marijuana Plants

By Michelle Bodian, Casey Leaver

Dec 2, 2022

Effective November 30, 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) will allow the use of pesticides on marijuana, provided all of the following conditions are met: 

• The product needs to be registered with EPA 

• The product needs to be registered for use in Massachusetts 

• The product needs to be labeled for both hemp and tobacco

• When a product has 2 different rates for hemp and tobacco, the applicator MUST use the lower of the 2 rates

• The product MUST be without “Days to Harvest” for indoor use in order to address worker safety concerns for indoor use

• The active ingredient MUST be food tolerance exempt

• The product MUST be labeled for use on hemp in a greenhouse if being used on marijuana cultivated in an indoor setting

MDAR will not publish a list of products allowed for use; it is up to each user to ensure compliance. The EPA published a list of products registered for use on hemp, but Massachusetts requires the product is labeled for both hemp and tobacco use. 

MDAR did publish a helpful flowchart to assist users. 

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a call with a VS team member to discuss this policy change, please contact our Boston office at boston@vicentesederberg.com or 617-934-2121.