Medical marijuana sold via licensed dispensaries in Oklahoma regularly has far less THC than is advertised on product labels, according to a new study.
For the study, reported by NPR, an independent laboratory analysis of 15 different marijuana strains obtained at three dispensaries identified large discrepancies between the products’ labels and their THC content. In every single instance, the labelled THC was inflated from the tested amount.
The average reported THC level of the strains tested is about 24 %. The actual average THC amount was 14%, representing a double-digit difference.
Jeffery Havard, owner of the lab that conducted the study, says that not only do the inflated numbers mean patients are likely paying inflated prices, he says “if I’m trying to dose correctly and the potency is all over the place, it would be impossible for me to ever be able to accurately dose when the numbers are just varying so widely on what the potency of the product is”.
Harvard says “We can’t really say where this is occurring, but we do know that it is occurring, and that’s kind of what we’re trying to put out there.”
Results from the lab analysis were provided to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. For their part, the Authority says they are in the process of improving lab testing regulations and standards.
Oklahoma voters legalized marijuana in 2018, with dispensaries opening the following year. Currently Oklahoma has more medical marijuana dispensaries per capita than any other medical marijuana state.
A recent study published by the Journal of Cannabis Research found that out of 107 marijuana strains from California, Colorado, and Oregon, nearly 70% listed inflated THC values.
