Researchers at People Science Explore the Effects of Cannabinoids on Sleep
by Bethan Rose
A study published in the Wiley-Blackwell Online Open looked into the significance of having a standard unit dose for cannabis research. The study opened by stating that “a standardized measure for delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in cannabis products is necessary to advance research both on the adverse effects of cannabis and on the drug’s potential medical uses”. The current inability to standardize cannabis has been one of the main reasons behind hesitation to legalize the substance. Finding a standard unit of measurement for any cannabis compound will make it easier to consider legalization, administer, and improve research. Just like the list of therapeutic properties of cannabis seems to be ever-growing, so does the diversity of cannabis products on market. Researchers Volkow and Weiss sought out to establish the importance of standardizing measurements due to the fact that there is an increasing diversity of cannabis products.
Tom Freeman and Valentina Lorenzetti have proposed a standard dose for cannabis products, regardless of their method of consumption. They suggested that “a standard of THC unit should be fixed at 5mg THC for all cannabis products and methods of administration”. Their recommended dosage of THC in cannabis products is based on the rationale that this minimal dosage amount has psychoactive effects regarding the route of consumption but that this same dosage is “devoid of adverse effects”. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has been supporting the fact that standard measurements are needed in order to facilitate research on cannabis. The agency’s document on cannabis policy research stated that,
“Standardized measures of cannabis use frequency, amount, product form, administration method, and dose are most needed to gain a more complete understanding of use and its outcomes”. NIDA continues on to explain that “standardized measures for light, moderate, regular, heavy, and chronic use are needed to consider not just the recentness and frequency of use but also the form, amount and, in particular, amount per use episode”.
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While NIDA makes some good points, there is another study that explains how “having and using a standard is a prerequisite for comparing the effects of various cannabis products on THC bioavailability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effect”
Simply put, standardizing the unit of measurement for cannabinoids, particularly THC, will allow researchers to conduct and conclude for accurate and consistent research as well as providing consumers with safety, certainty, and control. The standardization importance concerning consumer safety comes in as dose guidelines will help keep cannabis consumers safe from accidentally consuming too much or experiencing increased adverse side effects. If you haven’t noticed by now, most of the available research and studies on cannabis conclude by stating that more research is necessary in order to better understand that aspect of the research/study, well hopefully by regulating the measurements of cannabis units, researchers will be able to conduct or access that “more research”.
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