[Links to sources and videos at end of article ↓ ] Los Angeles, City Attorney, Carmen Trutanich was taking questions from the floor Oct 10, 2009 at the 2009 Congress of Neighborhoods held at City Hall in Los Angeles, California. Trutanich and a woman, later identifying herself as Kathryn Schorr and claiming to be a cancer survivor and taking medical marijuana, got into a heated exchange over the subject. She felt that she was badly treated by Trutanich. Trutanich said the marijuana being in sold in dispensaries, based on samples he supplied to the FDA, is contaminated by bifenthrin, a pesticide and also by other stuff he wouldn’t identify. After Schorr left the council chambers I went outside to talk to her. She appeared to be distraught and was crying and being comforted by a security guard and others. The security guard cautioned her not to drive home in her condition. Schorr felt that Trutanich was overbearing and bullying her and he should have let her make her point without interference. That being, one needs 10 pounds to do a proper lab analysis of contaminants in marijuana. She had the floor and his insisting that she should give lead to her children was wrong. She said she couldn’t understand how an elected official could talk to her that way. I spoke to Trutanich, Wednesday, when he said “I’m.was sorry it happened that way and it came at the end of a long day. But she was lying, she was wrong, and I felt as she was lying I had to say so”. He said he was trying to make a point that smoking the contaminated marijuana was akin to eating lead. Trutanich said, “He has an obligation to bring to light the fact that the medical marijuana being sold is a health hazard, he would be remiss in his duties if he did not make it public.” Further, he said, “The City could be sued if he didn’t make his findings public and people were injured by using medical marijuana [obtained in the City]”. “People simply don’t know what’s in the stuff.” Trutanich said that bifenthrin is used to mainly control fire ants which he said we don’t have here in Los Angeles, but they do in a few parts of Texas and in Mexico, therefore the marijuana is most likely is coming from Mexico. A Google search, however, showed many sites that sold the pesticide for the treatment of a whole host of pests. The brand Talstar Professional made by FMC Cop., whose active ingredient is bifenthrin, is advertised as a “multi-Insecticide … one of the most trusted and widely-used insecticides by pest control professionals today.” The ad goes on to say it “…controls over 75 different pests -- everything from spiders, mosquitoes, cockroaches, ticks and fleas to pill bugs, chinch bugs, earwigs, millipedes, Dichondra Flea Beetles … , Talstar is simply fantastic” Talstar is approved for use in California, however not necessarily for marijuana or fruits and vegetables. Bifenthrin has been found as a contaminant in tobacco products as cited on the internet. Including one report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The fire ant problem that Trutanich touched on in his talk at the 2009 Congress may actually be for the Rasberry [sic] Crazy Ant problem in Texas going back to 2002. [I swear I’m not making this up] Rasberry Crazy Ant http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/ants/exotic_tx.cfm FMC Corp has a special formulation of their pesticide called Talstar Special that also contains bifenthrin. But this one can’t be used in California. The directions caution: “Do not apply to pets, food crops, or sources of electricity.” The Crazy ant is apparently tough to control. The resident in Texas said, if they had a choice, they would prefer to have the fire ants back instead of the Rasberry crazy ants. Back to L.A.: Trutanich feels his testing procedure is above reproach. He said his office is continuing to test samples from around the City. The actual samples, Trutanich carefully pointed out, although collected by his staff, were tested by the US Food & Drug Administration not the US Drug Enforcement Agency. He said, he understands and employs the proper procedures to insure the chain of custody of the samples is not violated. Schorr tried to make the point that you need a large amount of medical marijuana, 10 pounds to properly test for the presence of pesticides. The same amount that Michael Backes, who runs the Cornerstone Collective in Eagle Rock, said at the Neighborhood Council Action Summit the previous Saturday, is necessary. Michael Backes outtake http://vimeo.com/7078024 Trutanich disagreed, indicating a tiny amount is all that is necessary for testing purposes. Even if Trutanich is right, is the FDA unbiased? It adamantly opposes the use of marijuana and as it says on its website. The FDA…” has not approved smoked marijuana for any condition or disease indication.” Trutanich said he has no problem with the compassionate use of marijuana and encourages collective