Pest-Control Companies Pull Out of Carpinteria Cannabis Deal

The Oxnard pest-control companies that spray avocados in the Carpinteria Valley have pulled out of a proposed agreement with cannabis greenhouse operators, saying they can’t risk contaminating the marijuana crop.

Under the deal, cannabis growers in the valley would have agreed not to sue the commercial sprayers during the weeks they normally spray in the spring. The companies would have been able to use pesticides that work well on avocados but are on the state’s “red list” as contaminants for cannabis.

“We’re all disappointed, but we’re just not going to do it,” said Rob Scherzinger, the founder and manager of Aspen Helicopters, Inc., one of four Oxnard pest-control companies that work in the Carpinteria Valley. “It’s just a snake in the grass that will bite us one of these days. It’s a potential loss we can’t afford.”