In November 2023, Ohio voters approved Issue 2, a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana. And in March of that same year, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 47 into law, legalizing medical marijuana sales for Kentuckians beginning in 2025. But what are the health risks of consuming marijuana products, even when they are purchased legally?
Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level and because of that, state regulatory boards don't receive guidance when it comes to testing.
In an investigation for Undark, reporter Teresa Carr details how contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, yeast and mold flourish on cannabis plants. Cannabis is a hyperaccumulator, meaning it can grow in soil or water with high levels of metals, absorbing them through their roots. Additionally, Carr details the practice of "lab shopping," a practice in which producers take their marijuana products to the lab that will certify those items with inflated levels of THC, leading to labels that tout higher THC potencies than what might actually be present in the product.
Likewise, reporter Christopher Osher found that sometimes it's hard to tell whether a product is made from cannabis or hemp. In a story produced in partnership with ProPublica's Local Reporting Network, The Denver Gazette found that several vapes sold in Colorado, which has banned intoxicating hemp, had high levels of delta-8 or delta-10 THC, which "often emerge when CBD from hemp is chemically converted to THC."
On Cincinnati Edition, we discuss what might be in the weed on shelves across the country, including in dispensaries in Ohio and Kentucky.
Guests:
- Teresa Carr, senior contributor, Undark
- Christopher Osher, senior investigative reporter and editor, The Denver Gazette
- Jana Hrdinova, administrative director, Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University
Beginning at noon, call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on this topic. You can catch a recorded replay at 8 p.m.
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