New: How Should Policymakers Regulate the THC Content of Cannabis Products? (Opinion piece in Addiction)
02/06/2023
Since the sale of cannabis to adults was first legalized in Colorado and Washington State in 2012, the THC content of cannabis flower has increased and so have sales of high-potency cannabis vapes, extracts, and concentrates.
Increased use of higher THC cannabis products can lead to increased cannabis-related harms, including accidents, adverse psychological reactions, psychotic symptoms, and accidental childhood poisonings.
These concerns have prompted policy proposals to cap the THC content of cannabis products and to tax cannabis products based on their THC content. The legal cannabis industry in the U.S., however, has argued that these proposals are unnecessary because cannabis users titrate their doses of THC by using smaller amounts of more potent cannabis products.
This new opinion piece in Addiction, by Wayne Hall, Janni Leung, and ADAI Acting Associate Professor Beatriz Carlini, PhD, MPH, explores the actual science related to that last point, providing a summary of research on cannabis dose titration and associations with mental disorders, and outlines the major policy questions, providing suggestions on ways to address potential harms to consumers.
Citation: Hall W, Leung J, Carlini BH. How should policymakers regulate the tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis products in a legal market? Addiction 2023 (in press).
