美国国家公共电台 NPR--A disease affecting marijuana crops could force growers to change their practices

A disease affecting marijuana crops could force growers to change their practices

Transcript¹

Cannabis growers are scrambling² to ward³ off a highly infectious crop disease that's spreading from coast to coast. The threat puts pressure on businesses to think of safety before the bottom line.

ASMA KHALID, HOST:

Cannabis growers are scrambling to ward off a highly infectious crop disease that's spread from California to Massachusetts. Tori Bedford from member station GBH reports on the threat to the nation's weed supply.

(SOUNDBITE OF ZIPPER)

TORI BEDFORD, BYLINE⁴: The first step is to zip yourself into a marshmallow suit - white, full-body protective coveralls and booties. Pass through a portal of sanitizing mist and pressurized air, and you're safe to enter the propagation room at RiverRun Gardens, a small marijuana-growing facility north of Boston. It's a sort of high-security kindergarten for cannabis, where root cuttings called clones are grown from a mother plant.

ED DESOUSA: We are safeguarding these clones from contact with any type of virus that may be lingering.

BEDFORD: That's grower Ed DeSousa, and the virus he's referring to is called hop⁵ latent viroid, a plant-specific pathogenic RNA that's been called the greatest threat to the cannabis industry across the country. It can easily spread undetected, suck the potency⁶ out of plants and destroy the commercial value of crops.

Nick Masso of Indo Labs, a cannabis testing facility outside Boston, says by the time growers notice the signs, they have just one option.

NICK MASSO: Destroy everything. You cannot recover from hop latent viroid.

BEDFORD: Almost all of California's marijuana nurseries were affected⁷ in 2021, according to a survey from cannabis genetics company Dark Heart Industries. It's now an issue coast to coast. On a federal level, cannabis remains⁸ illegal, and shipping⁹ plants across state lines is prohibited. A gray area in some state regulations allows growers to acquire seeds or immature¹⁰ plants from out of state. Masso says that's a big factor in how the pathogens spread.

MASSO: It's a little more time-consuming to germinate¹¹ from seed when you can start from a clone. And time is money.

BEDFORD: Hop latent viroid is preventable through rigorous sanitation¹², regular lab testing and sourcing plants from pre-tested seed or local stock. Companies that cut corners to save time and money, Masso says, are now facing the consequences.

MASSO: If they should happen to get hop latent viroid, I think that it is poetic¹³ justice.

BEDFORD: There's no known health effect on humans. Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, says the blight¹⁴ is more of a threat to marijuana businesses in an already fragile market, as demand has dropped and competition has increased.

PETER GRINSPOON: They need a viroid damaging the crop like they need a hole in the head.

BEDFORD: The blight is also emphasizing the importance of scientific testing. In Massachusetts, the state's regulatory agency, the Cannabis Control Commission, is just catching¹⁵ up. Commissioner¹⁶ Bruce Stebbins says they're building out testing and lab staff to ensure the procedures are actually compliant¹⁷ with regulations.

BRUCE STEBBINS: This is still a brand-new industry and there needs to be a lot more research done on the safety of the industry.

BEDFORD: When marijuana producers don't test properly, there's more of a risk of contaminated products, which could hurt consumers. Hop latent viroid comes with a financial consequence, which Masso says might force the industry to adopt higher standards.

MASSO: It'll be very interesting to see where this industry is in a year.

BEDFORD: As more companies and products enter the commercial cannabis market, the threat of disease puts pressure on businesses to think of safety before the bottom line.

For NPR News, I'm Tori Bedford in Boston.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

6 potency   

n. 效力，潜能

参考例句：

• Alcohol increases the drug's potency.酒精能增加这种毒品的效力。
• Sunscreen can lose its potency if left over winter in the bathroom cabinet.如果把防晒霜在盥洗室的壁橱里放一个冬天，就有可能失效。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

10 immature   

adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的

参考例句：

• Tony seemed very shallow and immature.托尼看起来好像很肤浅，不夠成熟。
• The birds were in immature plumage.这些鸟儿羽翅未全。

11 germinate   

v.发芽；发生；发展

参考例句：

• Seeds will not germinate without water.没有水，种子是不会发芽的。
• Can thin and hollow seeds germinate?瘦瘪的种子能够发芽吗？

12 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

13 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

14 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

15 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

16 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

17 compliant   

adj.服从的，顺从的

参考例句：

• I don't respect people who are too compliant.我看不起那种唯命是从，唯唯诺诺的人。
• For years I had tried to be a compliant and dutiful wife.几年来，我努力做一名顺从和尽职尽职的妻子。