Are THC potency caps a move toward marijuana prohibition?

With many consumers demanding high-potency cannabis, a debate is swirling over whether states where marijuana is regulated should implement caps on THC content in flower, concentrates and edibles.While many states regulate the amount of marijuana products that can be purchased, few impose direct caps on the THC potency of the products themselves, particularly for cannabis flower.

ADVERTISEMENT States with specific THC potency caps for certain product types include: Connecticut and Vermont, which have 30% caps on flower and 60% caps on concentrates.Massachusetts, which doesn’t limit THC content for flower but restricts concentrates to 70% and edibles to 5.5 milligrams per serving.

Oregon, which doesn’t have a limit on flower but caps concentrates at 2,000 milligrams per package and edibles at 10 milligrams of THC per serving and 100 milligrams per package.David Hammond, a researcher at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, said Canada’s model for edibles, which sets a limit of 10 milligram of THC per package, prevents consumers from ingesting too much.

“Consumers in Canada – not public health folks, but the people who use it – are supportive of THC limits on edibles,” Hammond told MJBizDaily.But the discussion around potency is more nuanced when considering different product types.

While a 30% THC cap is often suggested, Hammond said it’s irrelevant for cannabis flower, which rarely, if ever, exceeds that percentage.The main impact of caps falls on vaping liquids, which can range from 70% to 90% THC, and wax or shatter also will have high concentrations of the cannabis plant’s psychoactive ingredient.

“The problem is that our concept of what high THC is really differs across products,” Hammond said.THC caps could be a move toward prohibition Dr.

Byron Adinoff, president of Doctors for Drug Policy Reform in Denver, said he has reservations about THC caps, arguing that they risk pushing...