Report shows inflated THC levels on cannabis products across Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A recent report by a cannabis lab manager shows the labels on cannabis products are allegedly reporting the wrong THC level.
THC is the psychoactive component in marijuana. The higher the percentage, the stronger the effects.
As you can imagine, getting a different amount than what you expect comes with consequences.
“We’ve been reading a lot of reports over the last several years about the inflation of THC, the potency numbers and how it was affecting different markets,” Jeffery Havard, lab manager at Havard Industries said.
Havard says THC potency has been an issue around the US, with inconsistencies between what labels claim, and what customers actually get. He says Oklahoma is no different.
“We went to three different dispensaries,” Havard said. “We just asked the bud tenders to give us one of each of the most popular strains. So, we end up getting 15 samples total and we tested all of those 15 individual samples out for their THC potency.”
The results from Havard Industries says all 15 samples were overreported. According to the report, on average, the samples were 78% weaker than their label listed, though some were off by nearly 200%.
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Havard says such a huge variations could have pretty serious consequences. The inconsistent numbers may give users a false sense of security, and when they actually get that higher THC number, it could make them sick.
“If you were actually to get a product that was closer to that 24%, when you’re used to smoking like an eight and a half, then you’re going to feel extremely bad.” Havard said.
We reached out to several dispensaries in our area; each told us any product they buy comes with testing results and a certificate of authenticity in Metrc, the system that Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority uses to track growers and sales across the state.
All of those testing labs, like Havard Industries, are licensed by the state, and the dispensaries we spoke with say the test results are put directly on the product without being modified.
Havard says the way the state is set up, it’s hard to track where the problem is coming from.
“It’s hard to know if it’s coming from like a dispensary, from a grower, from labs, where exactly, we just know that there’s a problem,” Havard said.
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We reached out to OMMA, the agency didn’t directly answer our question when we asked who is responsible for labeling marijuana products.
A spokesperson said they can’t interpret the rules in terms of who is responsible for labeling product.
However, they did point to a new quality assurance lab that’s currently being set up saying:
“This issue exemplifies the necessity of OMMA’s quality assurance lab. Our lab will address this issue through advanced testing and testing standards.” “As the regulatory agency tasked with regulating medical marijuana in Oklahoma, we strive to ensure all licensees are compliant with state laws.”
OMMA’s full statement addressing the report as well as answers to specific questions are below.
“Who is responsible for putting the labels on products displaying THC amounts?”
“All medical marijuana and medical marijuana products sold by dispensaries are required to report THC potency on packaging or labeling as identified through testing performed on the batch. Labeling identifying the THC potency must be applied prior to being transferred to dispensaries for sale to patients.”
“How would the OMMA hold dispensaries accountable?”
“When licensees are found operating illegally, they are subject to administrative action. Through data-driven decisions, support and feedback from patients, industry leaders and partners across the state, we’re able to tackle illicit operators and noncompliant licensees effectively and efficiently.”
“Is there a way to accurately regulate the THC levels on Cannabis products before they are placed on the shelf?”
“OMMA’s quality assurance (QA) lab authorized by SB 813 (2023) will address this issue in two ways. 1) Each licensee will be required to submit a primary lab sample and a reserve sample to the lab for all compliance testing. The QA lab will periodically obtain the reserve sample, analyze it and compare the results obtained to the original test results. Discrepancies will be investigated. 2) The QA lab will distribute round robin samples to each commercial lab. The round robin samples will be meticulously prepared so that each commercial lab is testing the same thing. Each lab will submit their results to the QA lab, where statistical analysis will be done to see if any lab reported an outlier. The secret shopper program (HB 3971 (2022) also involves testing. It’s similar to the first process above, but instead of reserve lab samples, samples from dispensaries will be tested and the results will be compared to the package label.”
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