New Brunswickers who buy illicit cannabis products may be getting more, and less, than they bargained for.
A study by the Research and Productivity Council indicated that THC and CBD levels in illicit cannabis products are often lower than stated on the packaging.
In addition, the samples tested also contain higher levels of pesticides and other contaminants.
Diane Botelho, the CEO of the council, said the legal cannabis industry is still young, and it’s important to give consumers as much information as possible.
“There’s still a wide range of illicit cannabis shops within our province and across Canada,” said Botelho.
“A lot of cannabis consumers aren’t aware that these shops aren’t legally permitted to operate and they’re not regulated.”
The study focused largely on cannabis vape cartridges and other forms of cannabis oil, but also tested several examples of cannabis flower and edibles.
Pesticides
Health Canada has guidelines on how much pesticides there can be on cannabis sold legally.
For example, cannabis oil can only contain 0.01 parts per million of the pesticide ingredient trifloxystrobin, a fungicide that can cause dermatitis.
But one sample of illicit cannabis oil tested by the council had 7.47 parts per million.
The New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council says it has compared unregulated, illicit cannabis products to cannabis products bought from regulated stores. The council found alarming amounts of chemical contaminants in the illicit ones and misleading claims about potency.
Another sample had 30.3 parts per million of the insecticide bifenazate, exceeding the Health Canada limit of 0.01 parts per million.
There should only be at max 0.01 parts per million of the fungicide myclobutanil in cannabis oil but the council tested a vape cartridge that had 42.14 parts per million.
“Ninety-three per cent of the vape carts that we tested from illicit sources came back with many different pesticide hits and in some cases thousands of times above Health Canada allowable limits,” said Andrien Rackov, director of research and controlled substances at the council.
Potency
The study also indicates that the potency of cannabis sold on the illicit market tends to be lower than advertised.
“We also looked at cannabis flower and cannabis edible products. For those product categories in particular THC label claims were really way out to lunch,” said Rackov.
Andrien Rackov, director of research at the Research and Productivity Council, says the only place to purchase legal cannabis products in New Brunswick is through Cannabis N.B. and a few select private retailers. (Chad Ingraham/CBC)
One vape cartridge tested contained 23 per cent less THC than advertised, while one chocolate edible contained 55 per cent less, and one gummy edible contained 86 per cent less.
“It’s hard for consumers to know what they’re getting,” said Rackov.
The good news is all the legal samples tested as a control by the council by and large passed the test.
All of the legal samples tested under the Health Canada limits for pesticides.
The study focused largely on cannabis vape cartridges and other forms of cannabis oil, but also tested several examples of cannabis flower and edibles. (Chad Ingraham/CBC)
While there were discrepancies between the potency advertised and achieved, these were lower, with 15 per cent less THC than advertised the highest discrepancy.
“In New Brunswick, the only place to purchase legal cannabis products is through Cannabis NB and a few select private retailers that are also licensed by Cannabis NB,” said Rackov.
“If you’re in doubt, you can go on the Cannabis NB website and check to see if the store that you may be about to enter is in fact selling legal products.”
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