Government agencies, health experts, consumer advocates, and legal analysts continue to raise the red flag about the dangers associated with consumer cannabinoid products. The market is booming — and changing — despite several legal, public health and safety questions that remain unanswered.
Recent news articles are alerting consumers about emerging new products and their risks, and legal experts are calling attention to the loopholes in current law which are making it easier to produce, market, and sell new hemp products that contain intoxicating delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC and THC-O Acetate. Such products are gaining popularity as “legal,” less expensive alternatives to other cannabis products, but buyer beware! Though often marketed as “light” weed, these products nevertheless pose risks and some are actually illegal.
All consumer cannabinoid products are not currently scientifically tested or regulated, and are often mislabeled, posing serious health risks for the unsuspecting consumer. A recent survey by CBD Oracle Lab found astounding levels of mislabeling, with some products containing 7700 percent over the legal delta-9 THC limit. Testing of 51 products found that 77 percent had less delta-8 than advertised, and 76 percent contained delta-9 THC in concentrations greater than 0.3 percent, which, by federal law, makes these products illegal.
The FDA and CDC have issued warnings about the health risks associated with synthetically manufactured cannabinoid products including serious side effects, poison ingestions, and hospitalizations. Consumers should heed such warnings and learn more about the many risks and unknowns when it comes to these products and CBD. The good news is, the FDA has the authority at the federal level to step in and regulate. Scientific testing, accurate labeling, and transparency is needed – as soon as possible - to assist consumers in this confusing and risky marketplace.