Article Recap: Overly High THC:CBD Ratios in Medical Marijuana Products
An extremely enlightening study about high THC potency incongruent THC:CBD ratios in medical marijuana programs was published last year in Frontiers in Pharmacology. Here are the highlights:
THC % used in most medical studies is < 10%. As a point of reference, a previous study in 2020 found the average potency of products in states with medical programs was 19.2% (21.5% in states with recreational programs).
In terms of chronic pain, studies show than THC quantities over 15% are associated with worse pain.
Quote about the discrepancy between what’s being sold and what may be helpful: “It leaves patients looking to use cannabis for medical purposes with mostly products outside the realm of what is considered potentially suitable for therapeutic purposes.”
Low THC:CBD ratios can potentially attenuate the impact of the THC (so like 1:1, or 1:2+). Conversely, high THC:CBD ratios can enhance the intoxicating experience of THC.
CBD is not just a “protective factor” against THC – it increases the euphoria if the THC:CBD ratio is high.
Many products across states examined did not list CBD content at all, or had 0% CBD.
The vast majority of products had high THC:CBD ratios (that’s the dark red part of the pie charts) – the type that creates a stronger high, is largely not studied in clinical trials, and has a greater relationship to possible harms.
The average potency of products tested with these high ratios was 21.4%
And here are two key quotes from the results and discussion:
“Overall, this study’s results are alarming. They reveal current product offerings do not reflect scientific evidence regarding what concentrations of THC and CBD could be potentially therapeutic. Combined with holes in popular knowledge and misconceptions about THC and CBD, the current market can lead to problematic patient dosing as they try to maximize therapeutic benefits, such as analgesia, while subjecting themselves to THC’s acute intoxicating effects.”
“Therefore, many of the products marketed for medical purposes are counter indicated pharmacologically and potentially harmful. On the other hand, options that are likely the most suitable for therapeutic use are limited, even in medical programs.”
I definitely recommend reading the entire article - for those interested, here is the link.