ArticlePloS one2023
Uncomfortably high: Testing reveals inflated THC potency on retail Cannabis labels.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- High-Potency Cannabis Use and Health: A Systematic Review of Observational and Experimental Studies.The American journal of psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Neural complexity is increased after low doses of LSD, but not moderate to high doses of oral THC or methamphetamine.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Trial
- Therapeutic Use of Medical Cannabis Beyond Pain Management in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.Archives of internal medicine research · 2026Article
- High-THC Cannabis sativa in a New York greenhouse: yield and economic factors.Journal of cannabis research · 2026Article
- Comparative analysis of metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, microbial contaminants and THC potency in illegal and regulated cannabis inflorescences in Canada.Journal of cannabis research · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Accuracy of labeled THC potency across flower and concentrate cannabis products.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Peer-review Blinded Assay Test (P-BAT): a framework for trustless laboratory quality assurance for state-regulated cannabis markets.Journal of cannabis research · 2025Article
- Evolution of the substance use landscape: Implications for contingency management.Journal of applied behavior analysis · 2025Review
- Characterization of the Cannabis sativa glandular trichome epigenome.BMC plant biology · 2024Article
- Human Milk Cannabinoid Concentrations and Associations with Maternal Factors: The Lactation and Cannabis (LAC) Study.Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine · 2024Article
- Label Accuracy of Legal Oral Cannabis Oil Products in Ontario, Canada.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Improved Long-Term Preservation ofPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Article
- Cannabis use to manage opioid cravings among people who use unregulated opioids during a drug toxicity crisis.The International journal on drug policy · 2023Article
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Potential Pathogen Resistance inPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Cannabinoids in hair and their prospective association with mental and physical health outcomes in adolescents.Neurotoxicology and teratologyArticle
- Impact of Healthcare Provider Awareness and Guidance on the Medical Cannabis Experience.Medical cannabis and cannabinoidsArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Legal Cannabis products in the United States are required to report THC potency (total THC % by dry weight) on packaging, however concerns have been raised that reported THC potency values are inaccurate. Multiple studies have demonstrated that THC potency is a primary factor in determining pricing for Cannabis flower, so it has an outsized role in the marketplace. Reports of inflated THC potency and "lab shopping" to obtain higher THC potency results have been circulating for some time, but a side-by-side investigation of the reported potency and flower in the package has not previously been conducted. Using HPLC, we analyzed THC potency in 23 samples from 10 dispensaries throughout the Colorado Front Range and compared the results to the THC potency reported on the packaging. Average observed THC potency was 14.98 +/- 2.23%, which is substantially lower than recent reports summarizing dispensary reported THC potency. The average observed THC potency was 23.1% lower than the lowest label reported values and 35.6% lower than the highest label reported values. Overall, ~70% of the samples were more than 15% lower than the THC potency numbers reported on the label, with three samples having only one half of the reported maximum THC potency. Although the exact source of the discrepancies is difficult to determine, a lack of standardized testing protocols, limited regulatory oversight, and financial incentives to market high THC potency likely play a significant role. Given our results it is urgent that steps are taken to increase label accuracy of Cannabis being sold to the public. The lack of accurate reporting of THC potency can have impacts on medical patients controlling dosage, recreational consumers expecting an effect aligned with price, and trust in the industry as a whole. As the legal cannabis market continues to grow, it is essential that the industry moves toward selling products with more accurate labeling.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.