I recently read an MJBiz article talking about “Mold in Cannabis is not a Significant Health Risk” and I do agree that it’s not a SIGNIFICANT health risk and here’s why: 

Nearly 30 years into legalized cannabis since California’s medical program launched in 1996 we now have real-world public health data from multiple jurisdictions: Canada (2018 national legalization) and U.S. states. The terrifying public health apocalypse cannabis was supposed to trigger… well, it’s been conspicuously absent. 

Think about all the nasty ass shit you ever smoked. I’ve been smoking cannabis every day since I was about 18, I’m 33 now. From the brick weed, to weed that wasn’t even cured, to the beasters, smoking out of water plastic bottlesc using 9mm sockets as bowl heads, I know I’m not the only who did this growing up as a young adult. If half the mold and dangers were true I’d honestly be dead by now or at least very sick. I truly don’t think I even had clean access to cannabis until I moved to Maine over 8 years ago now. 

Mold Risks: Rare But Real

• Fungal infections (including aspergillosis) appear in health claims at a rate of just 0.08% among cannabis users versus 0.03% in non-users (adjusted OR ≈ 3.5) CDC Travelers’ Health+1PubMed+1. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/88885
  
  
• Even among immunocompromised patients, documented aspergillosis tied to cannabis remains exceedingly rare—estimated at about 0.02% annual risk based on CDC hospitalization rates (~15,000/year among 341 million Americans) and cannabis user proportions (~65 million) cannabisclinicians.org. https://www.cannabisclinicians.org/2025/03/31/aspergillus-in-cannabis-evaluating-the-evidence-and-crafting-sensible-policies/
  
  
• Nationwide, only seven confirmed mold-linked infections (mostly in those with severely weakened immune systems) have been connected to cannabis—and just one confirmed fatality over more than a decade of professional/legal use.

Worker Safety: A Blind Spot

• In 2022, a Massachusetts cannabis processing worker died from occupational asthma, attributed to cannabis dust and mold exposure—marking the first such fatality in the U.S. cannabis industry
  
  
• Reports from workers describe chronic coughing, headaches, skin rashes, and asthma-like symptoms tied to poor ventilation and handling moldy product Boston.com. https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2025/02/23/too-much-fungus-among-us-mass-marijuana-workers-grapple-with-moldy-cannabis-concerns/ 

Testing Standards: A Systematic Shake-Up

• In Massachusetts, one lab’s mold failure rate reached 16.4%, while another reported just <1%. Such wide variance makes test data nearly meaningless https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/09/27/business/cannabis-lab-shopping-testing-dispensary-weed-moldy/
  
  
• Investigations show lab shopping is real: growers knowingly pick labs with looser standards to push contaminated product to market. https://www.reddit.com/r/bostontrees/comments/17koq4r/widescale_manipulation_of_total_mold_results_in/ (Reported by Grant Smith-Ellis)
  
  
• Regulatory action: a multistate operator in MA was fined $200K after pushing moldy product, using permissive PCR tests to pass it MJBizDaily https://mjbizdaily.com/mold-scandal-leads-to-200k-fine-for-massachusetts-marijuana-mso

Hard Comparisons: Alcohol vs. Cannabis

Metric	Alcohol	Cannabis
Direct annual deaths (U.S.)	~2,200 from overdose; ~95,000 long-term illness-related https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/substance-use/is-cannabis-safer-or-healthier-than-alcohol	No confirmed overdose deaths; rare heart/cardiovascular/stroke risk (29% ↑ heart attack, 20% ↑ stroke) https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-trend-swapping-alcohol-weed-still-risky-heart-health-2025-6
Addiction Risk	~15% develop dependence (DSM criteria) MPP	~9% lifetime dependence; milder withdrawal symptoms WikipediaMPP
Driving Risk	Alcohol found in ~17% of injured drivers vs 5% controls (OR ~3.8) PubMed	THC found in ~10% drivers vs 5% controls (OR ~2.5 in youth); mixed studies on fatal crash trends post-legalization PubMedWikipedia
Public Perception	Seen as “moderately dangerous”; more addictive	Perceived as less dangerous; choice favored in polls American Addiction Centers

Even if I don’t necessarily personally believe all the statistics out there especially about heart/cardio and stroke, because there are MANY issues that can cause those things and to pin point it simply blame cannabis for the increase is flawed. 

Final Word: A Wake-Up Smack of Reality

We’re not saying cannabis is completely harmless weak immune systems, heart disease risk, mental health vulnerability, workplace hazards—those are possible and we are inhaling combustible smoke more times than not.  But what we haven’t seen is a public health disaster. No mass mold deaths, no lung infection epidemic, no ICU flood.

Meanwhile, alcohol is literally mowing people down, tens of thousands dead per year, much higher addiction rates, and long-term organ and cancer damage. Cannabis overdose? Still basically myth. Cardiovascular risk? Sure but you’re dietary and exercise habits play a larger role in prevention. Drive impairment? Recognized, but far less lethal than drunk driving when controlled properly. 

So when regulators scream about moldy weed like it’s the next plague, it’s the fear they’re propagating—not the plant.

As we inch toward federal de/rescheduling and states like Massachusetts rewrite rules, let’s do it right:

• Elevate consistent, transparent testing
  
  
• Protect workers’ health
  
  
• Focus on patient education—not panic
  
  
• Keep fear-based policy rooted in data, not stigma

Because data says the danger is real—but tiny. Fear has just outgrown its justification.