More states in the U.S have been legalizing cannabis products for recreational use and medical purposes. However, many experts are raising the questions: Are these products labeling the content precisely?
There are many possible risks, especially those associated with the consumption of uncontrolled cannabis-derived products. They mostly consist of two active compounds in cannabis: THC and CBD.
Both components would interact with the same receptors in our body. However, the resulting effects are not the same. THC can cause a psychoactive response, whereas CBD tends to make you “high.”
Till now, CBD-containing products have not been regulated consistently. The FDA has been trying to resolve this problem to protect people’s health.
Recently, the agency released a report, which surveyed 147 products claiming to have CBD and promoted for pet or human use. The purpose was to find out whether these product labels precisely list their content.
The exam was implemented in the period between 2014 and 2019.
The agency chose products for testing based on the credibility of sellers or manufacturers. Some decisive factors including online selling, reported adverse effects, and unverified health claims, as well as cross-state production and selling
The results showed that around 88 percent of examined products contained cannabinoids, also only 86 percent claimed to have this element. Many products also consisted of THC, which were not specified on the label.
Some products even contained more than the listed amount of CBD.
The report also indicated that many cosmetics contained CBD, although the element was not mentioned on the labels.
In addition, the agency examined many products for possible contamination with dangerous heavy metals. None of these consisted of any risky levels of those elements.
Nevertheless, they often mislabeled the THC and CBD content.
From the total sample, the agency found out that only 45 percent of them consisted of CBD within 20 percent of the listed amount. In addition, up to half of them contained THCA or THC without indications on the labels.
In spite of the small size of the examination, the agency claims that the work has just started. It is planning to extend the research and include more products.
The FDA is developing a sampling method that can choose a representative random sample of the existing CBD products on the market.
After this report, the agency plans to evaluate more CBD-containing products from other categories, such as suppositories, tampons, personal lubricants, drinks, and beverages.
Source:
https://files.constantcontact.com/0ac3ac29601/07fb4b7e-2a70-4190-ba6b-9bb8f9f2264c.pdf