Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41984762›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Commercial cannabis product testing: Fidelity to labels and regulations.

Sarah A Limbacher, Suneeta Godbole, Julia Wrobel, Duncan I Mackie, Stephen Goldman, Ashley Brooks-Russell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sarah A LimbacherColorado School of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Center, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-3191
Suneeta GodboleStanford Medicine, Quantitative Sciences Unit, Stanford, California, United States of America.
Julia WrobelEmory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
Duncan I MackieUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, MedPharm Holdings LLC, dba Bud & Mary's, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5299-9475
Stephen GoldmanKaycha Labs, Denver, Coloado, United States of America.
Ashley Brooks-RussellColorado School of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Center, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn Colorado, regulations for recreational and medical cannabis sales require tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration is printed on all products. Labeled THC concentrations can vary by +/-15% of what is in the product. Studies show THC concentrations recorded on product labels are not always reflective of the THC concentration in the cannabis product and there is evidence consumers make purchasing decisions based on label claims.

aimsExplore the accuracy of cannabis product labels and differences between THC label accuracy and product type.

designData for this analysis come from a larger observational study of cannabis impairment. N = 74 flower, concentrate, and edible product samples from licensed Colorado dispensaries were collected and independently tested for THC concentration.

settingThis study was conducted in Colorado, in the Denver Metro Area.

participantsParticipants in the study voluntarily enrolled and provided one-gram samples of the cannabis they consumed during the study to be independently tested. The cannabis tested for this analysis was donated on a voluntary basis, not all participants chose to donate. MEASUREMENT: The main outcomes of interest for this analysis are accuracy of cannabis product labels compared to observed THC content, accuracy in the context of legally allowable variation, and difference between accuracy by product.

findingsOverall, label values were higher than observed values in flower and edible products (p < 0.001) but was not significant for concentrates (p = 0.85). Flower products were observed to be significantly lower on labels versus the 15% legally allowable range (p = 0.04). Concentrate and edible products were not significantly different (p = 0.9 and p = 0.5, respectively).

conclusionsThere is tension between legally allowable THC concentration claims on cannabis product labels and how consumers purchase cannabis. As cannabis policy evolves, standards and regulations that ensure accurate THC concentrations are reported on product labels are urgently needed.

Indexed as

CannabisDronabinolMedical MarijuanaProduct LabelingColoradoHumansDronabinolMedical Marijuana

Identifiers

PMID41984762
PMCPMC13082621

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.