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Cannabis/CBD

Cannabis growing and the processing required for its transformation into inhalable, edible, and absorbable products makes these consumer goods inherently susceptible to dose inconsistency and contamination by, for example, extraction solvents, growth promoters, and pesticides.

Key challenges in this marketplace include the lack of consensus on pesticide use and the analytical testing of cannabis products to ensure their safety.  The trend towards increasing concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other active compounds in products also raises issues of potential health risks.  Moreover, the presence of pesticides and other chemicals in cannabis products raises concerns regarding California’s Proposition 65.

 

Our Cannabis/CBD Services Include:

  • Design of chemical testing plans/chemical data review
  • Toxicological product reviews
  • Proposition 65 risk assessment
  • Environmental site assessment
  • Data quality and integrity assessment
  • Laboratory selection and oversight

Example Publications:

Boomhower, SR. 2022. “Public health issues of legalizing cannabis: Considerations for future studies.” In Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health. (Eds.: Patel, VB; Preedy, VR), Springer, Cham, Switzerland.

Rice, J; Lewandowski, T; Wait, AD. 2019 (Spring). “Safety of cannabis-infused edibles remains hazy.” Gradient Trends – Risk Science & Application.

Johnson, KR; Boomhower, SR; Newland, MC. 2019. “Behavioral effects of chronic WIN 55,212-2 administration during adolescence and adulthood in mice.” Exp. Clin. Psychopharmacol. 27(4):348-358.

Lewandowski, TA; Rice, JW; Conroy, H. 2018. “Potential Health Risks of Cannabis Extracts.” Presented at the 255th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting & Exposition, New Orleans, LA.

Links:

Steven Boomhower interviewed by Dig Boston

Trends article from 2019 on Food Safety

Presentation from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Conference “Potential Adulteration Issues Associated with Edible Cannabis Products”

Presentation from American Chemical Society National Meeting “Potential Health Risks of Cannabis Extracts”

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