Cannabis-Infused Edible Products in Colorado: Food Safety and Public Health Implications

Abstract

Cannabis-infused “edibles” are a popular means of cannabis use, and the variety of edible food products available to consumers continues to grow. Although there has been much discussion on dose standardization, childproof packaging, and the prevention of overconsumption, the important topic of food safety has received less attention. We discuss potential food safety hazards associated with cannabis-infused edible food products, drawing on examples from Colorado, and describe edible-associated foodborne illness outbreaks and other contamination events. It is important for public health agencies, particularly environmental health and enteric disease programs, to be familiar with the cannabis industry, including regulatory partners, signs and symptoms of cannabis ingestion, the scope of edible products sold and consumed, and the food safety risks unique to cannabis products.

Pharmacokinetic Investigation of Commercially Available Edible Marijuana Products in Humans: Potential Influence of Body Composition and Influence on Glucose Control

“…The incidence of edible marijuana overdose reported to United States poison centers is also increasing (e.g., ~5-fold increase between 2013 and 2015), the symptoms of which range in severity from mild anxiety and lethargy to respiratory depression [ 3 ]. The increase in overdose prevalence has been attributed to two factors: accidental/unintentional ingestion (i.e., the patient was unaware they were ingesting marijuana) most common in children [ 4 , 5 ], and repeated premature dosing because of the absence of an immediate sensation of altered psychoactive state [ 6 , 7 ]. That is, compared with inhalation, the time to perceived effects of the edible marijuana are appreciably delayed [ 8 ].…”

Consumers left at the mercy of chefs for potency, consistency, safety and regulation—the edibles industry of cannabinoids—A critical review

“…Edibles infused with cannabis are a common source for using cannabis and other types of food products which are available for consumers. Though, there is a lot of debate on their overconsumption, childproof packaging and dose standardisation, less attention is given to a much important topics like food safety associated with foodborne illness outbreaks and other contamination cases (White et al ., 2020). For public health institutes, especially organisation of environmental health and other programs of enteric diseases, it is important to know about the industry of cannabis including symptoms, signs and regulatory partners of cannabis ingestion, edible products selling and consumption scope and risks of food safety regarding cannabis products (Subritzky et al ., 2016).…”

Cannabis and Cannabis Edibles: A Review

“…So far, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington are known to regulate manufacturing, labeling/packaging, and sale of cannabis edibles. More policy details about these four states could be found in the summary by Gourdet et al and White et al , Meanwhile, despite the lack of having their own specific laws in regulating cannabis edibles in most of the states in the US or other countries which have tolerated/decriminalized or legalized possession and use of recreational cannabis, domestic or even commercial products of cannabis food/beverage have become a popular alternative to smoking/vaping and are being consumed more than ever. − Without federal regulatory oversight, the responsibility for regulatory inspection and enforcement of edible cannabis has fallen to state and local agencies, otherwise their quality/safety assurance will entirely depend on the local cultivators, manufacturers, and distributors . Therefore, the need for such strong policies and regulatory oversight is urgent.…”

“…156−159 Without federal regulatory oversight, the responsibility for regulatory inspection and enforcement of edible cannabis has fallen to state and local agencies, otherwise their quality/safety assurance will entirely depend on the local cultivators, manufacturers, and distributors. 155 Therefore, the need for such strong policies and regulatory oversight is urgent. According to quality investigation of Vandrey et al, 46,153 83% of tested THC content of edible products in California and Washington differed from the claimed amounts by over 10%.…”