Voters expect that cannabis legalization comes with safer products. Government involvement should engage a regulatory body that manages public safety. This means routine testing and product recalls that use banned pesticides or contain harmful compounds like mold.
Unfortunately, there are issues with testing weed, including a lack of standardized protocols and machine management. The problem of lab shopping is also prevalent. This term refers to how some testing labs offer things like inflated THC levels in exchange for business. Tales of these lab issues have long floated around industry spaces. One cannabis beverage brand brought the controversy to the public.
RELATED: Cannabis testing might need an overhaul, here’s why
Bubble Bud Inc., an Alberta, Canada craft cannabis beverage brand, worked with Agilent Technologies on a weed drink testing protocol. The endeavor lasted for 15 months, and according to the company report, it ended with proof. Bubble Bud claims to have uncovered distinct discrepancies between labeled THC and how much there actually was.
“The lack of accurate, standardized testing protocols for cannabis beverages is allowing products with THC levels an average of 41 percent above legal limits to flood the market,” Callum Hanton, CEO of Bubble Bud Inc., said in a press release issued by the brand. “Some beverages were tested to be overdosed by over 71 percent. Not only does this compromise product consistency and market integrity, it also exposes consumers to serious health risks from unknowing overconsumption.”
Not the first time cannabis products were found out
The potency discrepancies are notable, and it is not be the first time this has happened. In 2019, Leafly independently tested many popular CBD products, exposing that many contained too much or too little CBD. Four had zero milligrams of the cannabinoid.
Last year, Fox9 held a similar investigation into Minnesota hemp THC products. Three out of five of these samples contained different cannabinoids than labeled, with one containing six times the displayed dose. The lab technician who conducted the tests made another valid point. Brands could be adding potential synthetics to products not targeted in lab assays that could pose unknown threats to public health.
RELATED: Connecting the Dots with Nikki Lawley: why cannabis testing matters
The Bubble Bud data is seemingly yet to be confirmed by an independent third party, and an email to the brand remains unanswered. What is known now is what was made available in a press release, and specific data remains vague.
Limitations aside, the announcement calls attention to a potentially very real problem impacting consumers: testing labs need more oversight, guidance, and regulation. Too much CBD might not be harmful to some people, but taking up to 71 percent more THC than planned could be incapacitating.
“We need to protect public health, uphold market integrity, and create a fair, safe market for both consumers and responsible producers and urge Health Canada to match Alberta’s urgency in addressing this critical issue,” Hanton concluded.
