Commentary Series About High-THC Cannabis in Addiction Sparked by Piece from ADAI’s Beatriz Carlini, PhD, MPH
04/27/2023
ADAI Acting Associate Professor Beatriz Carlini, PhD, MPH, Director of our Cannabis Education & Research Program (CERP), co-authored a paper published last January in the journal Addiction titled “How should policymakers regulate the tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis products in a legal market?” (Hall W, Leung J, Carlini BH. Addiction 2023 (in press)).
The paper discusses the need for better regulation of THC content in legally sold cannabis products, as higher-potency THC has been linked to increased risk of harms like accidents, adverse psychological reactions, psychotic symptoms, and accidental childhood poisonings.
The authors discuss some potential policy approaches that could help reduce those harms, like banning high-THC products, capping THC levels, and introducing THC-based taxation structures.
In response to points raised by the authors, a series of commentaries were submitted to Addiction and recently published along with a reply from the original authors.
Find the complete series here
Original article
How should policymakers regulate the tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis products in a legal market? Hall W, Leung J, Carlini BH. Addiction 2023 (in press).
(Need help getting a copy of this paper? Email Meg Brunner: meganw@uw.edu)
Commentary (all free online)
The virtues of bans on high-THC content cannabis products? Caulkins JP. Addiction 2023 (in press).
In this piece, Dr. Jonathan Caulkins discusses the pros and cons of product bans versus increased taxation as a way to reduce use and associated harms from high-THC cannabis.
Using the standard THC unit to regulate the THC content in legal cannabis markets. Freeman TP & Lorenzetti V. Addiction 2023 (in press).
In this comment, Drs. Freeman and Lorenzetti discuss the need to develop a standard “unit” or serving of THC, similar to a standard alcohol unit, as a way to improve labeling, better regulate products with higher potencies, and more accurately measure THC dose in research and clinical settings.
Strictly regulated cannabis retail models with state control can provide lessons in how jurisdictions can regulate THC. Pardal M & Wadsworth E. Addiction 2023 (in press).
Here, the authors describe approaches taken by the governments of Quebec and Uruguay to integrate specific THC-related regulations, like product bans or THC caps.
Response from the authors (free online)
Do not let the ideal be the enemy of the good enough regulation. Hall W, Leung J, Carlini BH. Addiction 2023 (in press).
In this follow-up, Wayne Hall, Janni Leung, and Beatriz Carlini address the points raised by the commenters above, which reveal that regulating THC is more complex than it seems at first sight, but conclude that, “In cannabis regulation, as in any area of public health, we should not allow the ideal to be the enemy of the good enough.”
