Your edible is mislabelled, but does it matter?

CBD was the last resort for the family of ten-year-old Sophie *. CBD is known today, but in the past, CBD was an undesirable chemical for growers as it mitigates the high caused by THC. In 2006, Paige Figi gave CBD oil to her daughter Charlotte to help relieve the pain caused by her seizures. To everyone’s surprise, CBD brought Charlotte’s seizures into remission and the little girl’s daily functioning improved significantly.

Charlotte’s case wasn’t a fluke or a placebo effect, so it was worth a try. Sophie’s parents ordered CBD oil online and gave it to her. Sophie’s seizures stopped immediately, but had strange side effects. Her eyes were very red and she was crazy and forgetful. In hindsight, these side effects are clear signs that Sophie was high, but her parents didn’t immediately notice because they had ordered products that were labeled as containing no THC. When Sophie’s parents took her CBD oil to a lab, it was confirmed to contain THC. She switched to real, pure CBD, her seizures remained in remission and all of her “strange” side effects disappeared. So what was going on?

Mislabeled food

In the United States, it is unlikely to get a cannabis product that is properly labeled. One study found that over half of the CBD products were more or less concentrated than advertised. Every fifth product contained THC, although it is not listed on the label. So buyers watch out!

Canadians may breathe a sigh of relief, and rightly so. Legalized weed is regulated weed. The cannabis industry has been careful to comply with the provisions of the Cannabis Act since the law came into force in 2018. Canadian consumers enjoy protection. License holders are required to investigate complaints. Health Canada has recalled 15 cannabis products that contained higher levels of THC than the stated package. Canadians can approach cannabis with the same caution as romaine lettuce.

However, the Canadian cannabis market has had growing pains. The reality is that it is difficult to make edible cannabis products with a constant amount of cannabinoids; Experience, technology and expensive special equipment are required if the manufacturer wants to test the concentration in-house. Anyone who buys edibles should expect some variability in the amount of THC or CBD in their treats.

Does CBD contain THC?

No. True CBD does not contain THC. Still, no one should buy CBD chocolate and be surprised by a sneaky dose of THC, but at the end of the day the risks of mislabeled adult edibles are small. Cannabis is relatively safe, especially when compared to alcohol. However, marketing for CBD is increasingly aimed at parents with children struggling with ADHD, anxiety, ASD, and even auto-sickness. Without disproportionately blowing things up in Reefer Madness fashion, it seems fair to say that developing brains are more vulnerable than adult brains. Something applies to alcohol and E.coli and to cannabis. There’s a reason people feel more comfortable having kids try a sip of wine instead of a shot of tequila – the dose counts!

* That’s not her real name. The patients in the original study were anonymous.