Citation

Seltenrich N. Environ. Health Perspect. 2022; 130(10): e104001.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)

DOI

10.1289/EHP12099

PMID

36306206

Abstract

With every passing year, more U.S. states move to fully legalize cannabis, or at least permit its medical use. The federal government, by contrast, continues to view cannabis as an illegal drug. Absent federal oversight, states have enacted a patchwork of policies governing product testing, quality, and safety--roles usually fulfilled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture. The resulting lack of rigorous, universal standards for regulating common cannabis contaminants has significant implications for public health, write the authors of a new study in Environmental Health Perspectives.

People who use cannabis medically may be particularly vulnerable to harm from exposure to contaminants, notes senior author Maxwell Leung, an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Arizona State University. Various compounds in the plant are used to treat or alleviate symptoms of a variety of health conditions, including seizures, epilepsy, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Cannabis can also help reduce side effects of common therapies for AIDS and cancer.2 The global market for medical cannabis is currently worth approximately USD $10 billion and is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years...

Language: en