Deep Dive: Report addresses mental health risks of high-THC cannabis

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High-potency cannabis products, increasingly questioned for their ties to mental health risks for consumers, are creating new regulatory risks as well, according to a leaked report in Washington state last week.

Here are 3 takeaways .

1. Has Cannabis Potency Really Gone Up?

The levels of THC in cannabis have skyrocketed in recent years, from around 4% to more than 15%, according to a report based on government-seized samples. Not only have cannabis plants been bred to contain more of the psychoactive substance, but an entire category of products known as concentrates are often labeled as having 60% to 99%.

In Washington state, a scientific report to address the public health challenges of high-THC cannabis was supposed to be kept under wraps until around the end of this year. But last week, a draft was leaked

2. What Does the Report Recommend?

The report recommends policies such as preventing new consumers from starting with such products and calls on companies to give consumers more information. According to the excerpts, the report doesn’t recommend a cap on THC levels, though it suggests that could be more feasible in the future.

Cannabis Research Director Beatriz Carlini, who worked on the report, said that there is “robust” science showing that higher-THC marijuana increases the risk of addiction and psychiatric disorders. As with other drugs — even recreational ones — there’s a burden of proof on the companies to show that their products are safe that has yet to be met.

3.What Do Health Officials Think?

Beatriz Carlini said the report will recommend tax increases on any product with more than 35% THC and the prohibition of any advertising and promotion of such products. It will also call for increasing the age requirement for their purchase to 25.

One of the study’s more interesting findings was the perceived gap when it comes to these high-potency products. Health agencies were asked to rate how concerned they were about the risks of high THC concentrations on a scale of 1 to 5, responses ranged from 3.8 to 4.2. Cannabis industry representatives, however, only ranked their concern level at 1.4.

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The decision on what to do with the information is ultimately up to legislators, but it’s a sign that the issues perceived won’t be going away any time soon.

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