That weed you bought might not be as potent as promised, study finds

April 13, 2023
AggregatedNews
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Colorado researchers found that the THC in cannabis they tested was, on average, 23 percent lower than what was reported on the label

The weed you’re buying might not make you as high as you hoped.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Northern Colorado tested samples of cannabis sold at several Colorado dispensaries. Overall, they found that the product labels promised a potency higher than what was actually in the bags.

The study’s findings demonstrate the lack of regulation in the nation’s burgeoning cannabis industry and suggest that many buyers may be getting duped into believing their purchase will have a stronger concentration of THC, the psychoactive compound responsible for the euphoric “high” that weed delivers. Researchers say it is the first peer-reviewed study to examine empirically the potency of commercially available cannabis.

“I don’t believe what’s on the label,” said Mit McGlaughlin, one of the authors of the study and a professor of biological sciences at the University of Northern Colorado. “We just don’t have enough information for consumers about whether or not you can trust what’s being produced.”

Testing weed for THC

To conduct the study, researchers bought 23 different samples of cannabis flowers from 10 dispensaries in Denver, Fort Collins and Garden City, Colo. They tested each sample to measure the concentration of THC, which stands for Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. [Read More @ The Washington Post]