The cultivation, commercialization, processing, and intake methods of cannabis provide for the potential of heavy metal exposure. Although some concentration of heavy metals in soil occurs naturally, human activities can raise these concentrations to unsafe levels by way of pesticides & preservatives.

Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium to name a few can be detected at trace amounts (parts per million (PPM)). Heavy metals may be safe and even beneficial to humans in permissible doses, but present a serious health risk at elevated levels. The accumulation of these metallic elements in the body interfere with metabolic processes and at unsafe thresholds can put consumers at greater risk for illness and toxicity.