Almost half of the marijuana flower products at dispensaries across Colorado are inaccurately labeled for THC content, with many overstating the amount of THC in the product, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder.
THC is the main psychoactive compound found in cannabis. The study considered marijuana products to be adequately labeled if they contained THC content within 15% of the amount shown on the label, which is a standard the state uses for some types of marijuana products. About 44% of flower products in Colorado failed to meet that standard, according to the study. Flower marijuana is what most people imagine when they think of weed; it includes loose, dried cannabis plant and pre-rolled joints.
“It’s important for both recreational consumers as well as medical consumers,” said Greg Giordano, senior professional research assistant and first author of the study. “… If they’re expecting a certain effect, they’re going to want their label to be accurate.”
CU Boulder worked with an outside organization that collected 178 flower products from dispensaries across Colorado. Of those, 54 of the products overstated the THC content on the label, and 23 contained more THC than the label indicated, exceeding the 15% standard in both cases.
The Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division is charged with licensing and regulating marijuana in Colorado.
Communications Manager Heather Draper said the division is aware of the CU Boulder study. Team members from the division are planning to discuss the findings of the study in a public forum at the Science and Policy Workgroup Forum on Aug. 1.
“…This (forum) process serves to inform regulators and policymakers of opportunities for legislative and regulatory developments that would benefit the regulated marijuana market and/or improve public safety,” Draper said. “The group is intended to facilitate candid and collaborative discussion between experts with diverse interests to provide high-quality solutions that are workable for both stakeholders and regulators.“
Licensed marijuana dispensaries are required to label THC potency based on test results received from licensed, certified testing facilities. The different types of marijuana categories, including flower, concentrates and edibles, have different potency testing requirements and criteria for what constitutes a passing test. A plus or minus 15% potency variance is not a specific rule requirement across all types of marijuana, Draper said.
CU Boulder researchers are not allowed to purchase or work with weed for scientific purposes due to federal regulations. This makes marijuana harder to study, said senior author and psychology and neuroscience professor Cinnamon Bidwell. As a result, a partnership with the industry is crucial.
CU Boulder partnered with MedPharm Research, a cannabis manufacturer and cultivator that holds state and federal licenses, to conduct cannabis research. A shopper from MedPharm traveled across the state to purchase 277 marijuana products from 52 dispensaries in 19 counties for analysis.
Bidwell said the sampling strategically aimed to be representative of the Colorado market, with most samples taken from Denver and Boulder counties, where the highest number of dispensaries are located.
The MedPharm shopper purchased 178 marijuana flower products and 99 concentrate products across the state, which have a higher concentration of THC and can be oils, waxes and infused products. No edibles were included.
The samples were then tested by MedPharm chemists for THC potencies, which were later compared to the products’ labels.
“We want to instill and foster trust in products, and the only way to do that is to continually evaluate and correct any issues that might be discovered,” Duncan Mackie, director of pharmacology at MedPharm and a co-author on the paper, said in a release.
The results showed that nearly all tested concentrate products met the label accuracy threshold for THC content, whereas flower products frequently did not, according to the study. About 96% of concentrate products met the 15% threshold for THC content compared with 56.7% of flower products.
“That makes sense in some ways because a flower product is a plant and may have higher or lower potency,” Bidwell said. “It isn’t necessarily homogeneous, but it is an important concern in terms of accuracy.”
Giordano said existing research has shown THC potency inflation in flower products and edibles, adding that this study is the first to include concentrate products.
“Cannabis flower products are frequently outside Colorado’s standard for accuracy,” Giordano said. “Something needs to change here to figure out what’s going on, to figure out how we can meet this standard so the products can be accurately labeled and regulated.”
Bidwell said she was surprised by the “overall messiness of labels” they found in the study. For example, the data showed high levels of other cannabinoids within the marijuana products that are not required by state regulations to be put on the label.
Bidwell said she hopes the data sparks some conversations to promote accurate labeling and relevant information based on what consumers should know.
“Consumer knowledge about the accuracy of products is important,” Bidwell said. “If you’re relying on a label to make decisions, you should know how accurate it is.”
The study was funded by the Institute of Cannabis Research, which conducts and supports cannabis research in Colorado.
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