Prevalence and patterns of cannabis product adulteration: an analysis of WEDINOS data
File(s)Prevalence and Patterns of Cannabis Product Adulteration An Analysis of WEDINOS Data.pdf (1.19 MB)
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Author(s)
Erridge, Simon
Hall, Martin
Sodergren, Mikael H
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The increasing global consumption of cannabis, particularly within unregulated markets, raises concerns about potential health risks associated with contaminants and adulterants. This study investigates the presence of active compounds and adulterants in illicit cannabis products within the UK. Data was identified from 1,635 samples of cannabis products submitted to the Welsh Emerging Drugs & Identification of Novel Substances (WEDINOS). Of these, 695 (42.51%) did not contain any naturally occurring cannabinoids and in 162 (9.91%) samples no active compound was identified. Over one-third (n = 624; 38.17%) of tested samples contained a psychoactive adulterant. The most common were synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (n = 435; 26.61%). These findings highlight the potential dangers of unregulated cannabis consumption and emphasize the need for greater consumer awareness and harm reduction strategies. The study also underscores the urgency for policy reform and stricter enforcement of regulations to mitigate the risks associated with adulterated cannabis within the illicit market.
Date Issued
2025-03-19
Date Acceptance
2025-02-10
Citation
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2025
ISSN
0279-1072
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40108751
Subjects
Cannabis
cannabinoids
drug contamination
illicit drugs
public health
Publication Status
Published online
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2025-03-19