The US government is being urged to establish maximum THC doses per serving for hemp after a new analysis revealed that 26% of products use THC sourced from federally-illegal cannabis plants.
The new CBD Oracle and InfiniteCAL Labs study, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research, has revealed that three-quarters of hemp delta-9 THC products cannot be legally sold as hemp in states such as Colorado and Massachusetts.
The study analysed 53 of the most popular hemp delta-9 THC products on the market, showing that, while only two products exceeded the 0.3% legal limit for delta-9, 66% differed from their stated dosage by more than 10%, and 75% were not tested for impurities by their manufacturer.
It also showed that 49% of products included delta-9 THC produced by chemically modifying CBD. Another 26% used delta-9 sourced from federally-illegal cannabis.
InfiniteCAL’s lab manager, Dr Erik Paulson, stated: “A vast majority of ‘hemp-sourced’ or ‘hemp-derived’ delta-9 THC is either cannabis-derived delta-9 or, even more commonly, delta-9 converted from CBD isolate.
“Although this route starts with hemp, it involves a chemical reaction to create this form of delta-9 THC and thus is not naturally occurring from hemp and is potentially dangerous.”
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The 2018 Farm Bill is due to be updated this year, however, it has to date, created a plethora of intoxicating-but-legal products through its loose definition of hemp.
Currently, under the bill, hemp is defined as containing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight – meaning a 10 g gummy can have roughly 30 mg of THC and still be sold legally across the country as “hemp delta-9.”
Manufacturers also used the bill to justify converting CBD into delta-8 THC (an isomer of delta-9), which is then also sold as “hemp.”
Through a new analytical strategy proposed by the paper, they conclude that three-quarters of hemp delta-9 products did not use THC naturally produced by the hemp plant.
Additionally, the analysis showed that 49% of products used the same type of reaction banned in states such as Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and North Dakota to produce delta-9 THC. Another 26% illegally sourced it from cannabis plants meaning that in some states, over 75% of hemp delta-9 products are actually illegal.
As well as establishing maximum THC doses per serving for hemp, the paper also calls on the government to establish age limits and mandate lab testing to ensure the safety of consumer hemp products.
