A team at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction is working on a framework for a standardized unit of THC in Canada.
“The concentration of THC found in cannabis has really increased over time,” said Shea Wood, a senior knowledge broker at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
“Compared to some of the products we had 25 years ago and beyond, these modern cannabis products contain substantially higher levels of THC.”
Wood spoke with People First Radio about the project.
She says because of the diverse range of cannabis products available, THC content is not always communicated in the same way.
“Some products, they measure it in terms of concentration, so they communicate THC as a percentage, some milligrams or milligrams per gram,” she said.
“So in that kind of context of diversity of products and really the importance of understanding THC exposure, that’s sort of where a concept of a standard THC unit emerged from.”
Wood says 2.5 milligrams has been recommended as the standard unit for THC in Canada.
“The standard unit in itself isn’t a recommended dose. Again, it’s a unit of measurement, a measurement tool. It’s not a dosing recommendation,” she said. “It doesn’t necessarily indicate how much THC a person should consume to achieve their desired effect, because that amount’s gonna be really different from person to person depending on so many factors.”
Wood says different methods of consumption can impact how someone experiences THC,
“Someone might experience different effects from using one standard unit through an edible as they would when they use one standard unit through smoking or vaping because, again, we know that they have different qualities,” she said.
“They affect people differently. And some research does suggest that sort of the peak high might be similar across different product formats, although it might hit a bit differently in terms of its timing or its length.”
Wood says that oftentimes people are reporting their cannabis use in terms of frequency, rather than how much they’re using.
“People aren’t even really tracking their own THC consumption and exposure in that way,” she said. “Having it on labels can actually help to bring it even further past research, past guidance…to decision-making and reporting.”
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