Cannabis health products recall on fear some can get users ‘high’
CANNABIS oil and other related products have been recalled after a study revealed that many “significantly exceed” approved psychoactive drug levels.
The products contain CBD, which is found naturally in the hemp plant and does not cause the “high” that is associated with the consumption of narcotics.
Its properties are the main marketing feature of hempderived foods and supplements which have become increasingly more common in recent years, and which claim to aid pain relief and offer other health benefits.
However, a survey by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) found 37pc of the products tested contained a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content that exceeded safety limits set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
THC is the psychoactive substance that provides the “high” experienced by smoking or ingesting cannabis.
According to the FSAI report accompanying the survey, some of the foods containing CBD had the potential to deliver amounts of THC that could impair motor skills.
“This level of THC could affect the motor skills of people driving or operating certain pieces of machinery,” the report said.
“In the USA, there have been reports of professional drivers losing their jobs following positive drug tests which they claim were due to the consumption of THC-contaminated CBD products.”
Out of 38 food supplements tested in the survey, 37pc contained THC which exceeded the safety limits.
As a result, food recalls have been put in place by the authority for 14 products, including branded cannabis oil, gum and oil spray.
Some 84pc of the foods tested were found to contain the psychoactive substance and if consumed in maximum amounts, 37pc of these would contain THC levels which “significantly exceed” approved EFSA levels.
Half of those tested also included “unauthorised health claims” such as being lactosefree or gluten-free.
The report adds that customers could be “grossly misled” or “put at risk by the ingestion of relatively high levels of THC”.