Research Reveals THC Concentration in Colorado Retail Cannabis Products is Lower than Advertised

While legal cannabis products in the United States are required to report THC potency levels on their packaging those levels aren’t necessarily accurate, which can have important implications for cannabis consumers. According to a new study from the University of Northern Colorado’s Department of Biological Sciences, researchers Mitchell McGlaughlin and Anna Schwabe found that the THC potency values reported on the packaging of cannabis samples from dispensaries across Colorado’s Front Range are substantially over-reported.  

In their research, “Uncomfortably High: Testing Reveals Inflated THC Potency on Retail Cannabis Labels,” published in the journal PLOS ONE on April 12, 2023, the authors analyzed THC potency in 23 samples from 10 dispensaries throughout the Colorado Front Range and compared the results to the THC potency reported on the packaging. Approximately 70% of the samples they collected and had analyzed by a third-party lab were found to be inflated by at least 15%, confirming that consumers are often being misled about the product they are buying. According to the authors, the lack of accurate reporting of THC potency can have impacts on medical patients controlling dosage, recreational consumers expecting an effect aligned with price and trust in the industry as a whole.