New Research from a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that around a third of commercially available marijuana extract products are not accurately labeled with the proper amounts as advertised.
The Drug War Times reported in its health section that a heavy weighing factor in the quality of packaged cannabis goods is the so-called “Wild West” market state it currently operates in. For the most part, these businesses tend to be cash operations, though many have very solid operating structures. There are also regulated medical marijuana facilities. But the fact remains that marijuana is illegal under federal law, even if nearly half of the states in some way have passed marijuana reform efforts including both medical and recreational use of cannabis.
When buying products online, such as cannabidiol, which may have potential health benefits, the consumer may not get the dose that the product packaging claims, according to reporting by Live Science. CNN also reported on the study that was led by Marcel Bonn-Miller, adjunct assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.
The study found that around 31 percent (just under one-third) of 84 products they purchased in a commercially available setting contained either more or less of the marijuana extract, CBD, than the label on the package said it did. Some contained more, some contained less.
The team doing the research had the products chemically analyzed at an independent lab, reportedly. Of those products analyzed, the study found about 26 percent contained less CBD and 43 percent contained more than the label actually claimed.
As the study and three news reports have indicated, these problems ultimately stem from an unstable and unregulated market in the regular U.S. economy. The marijuana industry is estimated to be worth billions. Some cannabidiol products also contained tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the active ingredient in cannabis that gets its users “stoned”. THC wasn’t listed on the label on some of those products where it was present. Cannabidiol doesn’t get its users high and is used mostly for health benefits, according to the reports.
Researchers pointed out the consumers could be harmed by products like this that are not labeled correctly. There are many new available marijuana products on the market, including oils and pills that are not as easy to understand as the traditionally studied and familiar organic cannabis plant. Because of the federal ban, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cannot step in currently.
Leave a Reply