It comes as no surprise that police in Warwick, Rhode Island, recently walked back claims that exposure to “fentanyl-laced cannabis” was responsible for a local woman’s tragic overdose death. While street fentanyl can no doubt be deadly, the substance is rarely, if ever, present in cannabis.
Nonetheless, sensational headlines and dubious police reports claiming otherwise remain plentiful. For instance, police in Brattleboro, Vermont, previously generated headlines when they arrested multiple persons on charges of distributing fentanyl-tainted cannabis. Days later, however, lab tests confirmed that no fentanyl was present in any of the marijuana samples seized by law enforcement.
A similar, highly publicized scenario also unfolded in Connecticut, where officials alleged that marijuana laced with fentanyl was responsible for over three dozen overdose incidents. Forensic analyses later determined that only one of these cases actually involved the ingestion of fentanyl. That case, health officials said, was probably the result of accidental contamination.
Such sensational pronouncements, followed by far less publicized refutations, are nothing new. According to the findings of a 2023 report issued by New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management, “Misinformation related to the danger of accidental overdose due to cannabis ‘contaminated’ with fentanyl remains widespread… Anecdotal reports of fentanyl ‘contaminated’ cannabis continue to be found to be false, as of the date of this publication.”
In fact, a recent Harvard Medical School study revealed that forensic labs almost never identify fentanyl in illicit cannabis seizures. “Our results show no evidence of widespread fentanyl co-occurrence with cannabis,” the study’s authors concluded.
That’s not to say that some unregulated cannabis products aren’t without their own quality control issues. For instance, a recent scientific analysis of unregulated cannabis flowers seized by police determined that 16 percent of samples “had detectable levels of mycotoxins and fungal metabolites.” Some hemp-derived cannabinoid products have been found to contain unlabeled cutting agents and potentially dangerous heavy metals — including magnesium, chromium, nickel, and mercury. Some commercially available CBD products have also been found to contain psychoactive additives, including dextromethorphan, a common cough suppressant. In addition, these unregulated products often contain far higher or lower percentages of the active ingredients identified on their labels. As a result, consumers may be getting far more, or in other instances, far less than they bargained for.
Of course, the solution to these quality control issues isn’t to amplify sensational (and often fictitious) claims about a supposed epidemic of fentanyl-laced cannabis or otherwise tainted weed. It’s to eliminate consumers’ exposure to potentially adulterated or mislabeled products.
One way to do so is to ensure that adults have the ability to home-cultivate their own cannabis. Doing so provides consumers with an affordable, uninterrupted supply of cannabis of known quality and purity. In addition to permitting home growing, these policies also ought to permit consumers to share personal-use quantities of cannabis with other adults for little or no remuneration.
Of course, not all consumers possess the ability, garden space, or desire to grow their own cannabis. Many, if not most, would prefer to obtain cannabis products from licensed retailers – something they can now do in most US states. In these state-regulated markets, cannabis is cultivated, and products are manufactured, in accordance with good manufacturing practices. Products are lab tested and labeled accordingly — providing consumers with access to products of verified purity and potency. Tainted products are identified and recalled before reaching consumers. Further, legal markets see declines in consumers’ use of potentially dangerous copycat products like K2 and other unregulated synthetic cannabinoids.
Will marijuana legalization single-handedly end the fentanyl crisis? No. But by providing adults with home grow rights and convenient retail access to lab-tested cannabis from licensed producers, consumers are at far less risk of being inadvertently exposed to tainted products.
Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, America’s oldest cannabis consumers’ lobby. To become a member of NORML or to support NORML’s efforts, please consider making a donation here.
This article is from an external, unpaid contributor. It does not represent High Times’ reporting and has not been edited for content or accuracy.
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