Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
A proposed change to Leni's Law means users of medical marijuana derivative cannabidiol (CBD) oil in Alabama could be allowed to buy oils with more THC in them.
THC and CBD are both cannabis derivatives. THC is the psychoactive component known for giving users a high and is used for pain relief. CBD is nonpsychoactive and is used to treat pain, anxiety, epilepsy and other neurological disorders without the high. Under Leni's Law, named for a child whose daily seizures are mitigated by CBD usage, CBD oils can't contain more than 3 percent THC "relative to CBD." For example if an oil has 10 mg of CBD, it could have no more than 0.3 mg of THC.
Sen. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville, proposed a rule at Legislative Council on Wednesday that would change the allowed THC level to 3 percent of the total volume. Sanford said that the "percent by volume" change was always the intent of the original bill, but the proposed change also came after hearing from families who said they needed more of the THC component for medical treatment.
"We're trying to get them to follow the intent of the law to make THC 3 percent of the total volume of the compound instead of 3 percent (relative to) CBD," Sanford said. "Three percent (relative to CBD) lowers it to a level that makes it not effective for the patients."
Others in the Legislature agree that the level of THC in medical CBD oil should be raised and none of the lawmakers at the Legislative Council spoke against the proposed rule. The bill's sponsor Mike Ball, R-Madison, told the Decatur Daily last year that "3 percent is very low; it should probably be 5 percent (relative to CBD)."
And yet the proposed "percent by volume" change may have missed the mark, according to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) and one of the leading cannabis test labs in Colorado, both of whom feel the increase to be too much.
"That's a lot of THC," said Claire Ohman, director of CMT Laboratories in Colorado, which tests all medical marijuana products on the market. "If we go back to the example of the oil and you have the 8.5 oz. bottle and you took 3 percent of that, that's a tremendous amount of THC."
Using that example, 3 percent of an 8.5 oz. bottle would be about 7.5 ml. Since the oil is measured in volume (ml) and the THC in mass (mg), the math gets a little sticky, but with THC's density being close to the density of water, Forensic Sciences estimates an 8.5 oz. bottle of CBD oil could have up to 7,500 mg of THC under the new law.
The recommended dose of THC in Colorado is no more than 10 mg per serving meaning that unless there are at least 750 servings in the bottle, the THC level may be higher than recommended.
"They don't understand that it will open up the amount of THC in there," said DFS Director Michael Sparks.
The estimate by DFS doesn't calculate the amount of THC per serving, an important metric. The rule is also meant to implement a maximum level, not a suggested level, and those who are legally allowed to purchase CBD oil can buy whichever kind they'd prefer.
In addition, Ohman said ingesting too much THC has no adverse health effect. It would just be "unpleasant," she said.
"Having THC in there is not a bad thing, but this is a tremendous amount of THC we're talking about. The percent of total volume is a lot," Ohman said.
The rule is being sent to DFS for recommendation. Ohman said that as more states explore the medical properties of cannabis derivatives such as CBD and THC, states such as Alabama should reach out to states that have already done the research.
"The states that have legalized cannabis have done a tremendous amount of work and have really ironed out a lot of the problems associated with legalization," Ohman said. "There's tremendous value in reaching out and talking to people in (a legalized state's) Legislature as well as in the industry. There's a lot to be learned, and we can serve as role models or provide a map towards legalization."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Rule would increase THC levels allowed by Leni's Law
Author: Andrew J. Yawn
Contact: Error - 404
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Montgomery Advertiser
THC and CBD are both cannabis derivatives. THC is the psychoactive component known for giving users a high and is used for pain relief. CBD is nonpsychoactive and is used to treat pain, anxiety, epilepsy and other neurological disorders without the high. Under Leni's Law, named for a child whose daily seizures are mitigated by CBD usage, CBD oils can't contain more than 3 percent THC "relative to CBD." For example if an oil has 10 mg of CBD, it could have no more than 0.3 mg of THC.
Sen. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville, proposed a rule at Legislative Council on Wednesday that would change the allowed THC level to 3 percent of the total volume. Sanford said that the "percent by volume" change was always the intent of the original bill, but the proposed change also came after hearing from families who said they needed more of the THC component for medical treatment.
"We're trying to get them to follow the intent of the law to make THC 3 percent of the total volume of the compound instead of 3 percent (relative to) CBD," Sanford said. "Three percent (relative to CBD) lowers it to a level that makes it not effective for the patients."
Others in the Legislature agree that the level of THC in medical CBD oil should be raised and none of the lawmakers at the Legislative Council spoke against the proposed rule. The bill's sponsor Mike Ball, R-Madison, told the Decatur Daily last year that "3 percent is very low; it should probably be 5 percent (relative to CBD)."
And yet the proposed "percent by volume" change may have missed the mark, according to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) and one of the leading cannabis test labs in Colorado, both of whom feel the increase to be too much.
"That's a lot of THC," said Claire Ohman, director of CMT Laboratories in Colorado, which tests all medical marijuana products on the market. "If we go back to the example of the oil and you have the 8.5 oz. bottle and you took 3 percent of that, that's a tremendous amount of THC."
Using that example, 3 percent of an 8.5 oz. bottle would be about 7.5 ml. Since the oil is measured in volume (ml) and the THC in mass (mg), the math gets a little sticky, but with THC's density being close to the density of water, Forensic Sciences estimates an 8.5 oz. bottle of CBD oil could have up to 7,500 mg of THC under the new law.
The recommended dose of THC in Colorado is no more than 10 mg per serving meaning that unless there are at least 750 servings in the bottle, the THC level may be higher than recommended.
"They don't understand that it will open up the amount of THC in there," said DFS Director Michael Sparks.
The estimate by DFS doesn't calculate the amount of THC per serving, an important metric. The rule is also meant to implement a maximum level, not a suggested level, and those who are legally allowed to purchase CBD oil can buy whichever kind they'd prefer.
In addition, Ohman said ingesting too much THC has no adverse health effect. It would just be "unpleasant," she said.
"Having THC in there is not a bad thing, but this is a tremendous amount of THC we're talking about. The percent of total volume is a lot," Ohman said.
The rule is being sent to DFS for recommendation. Ohman said that as more states explore the medical properties of cannabis derivatives such as CBD and THC, states such as Alabama should reach out to states that have already done the research.
"The states that have legalized cannabis have done a tremendous amount of work and have really ironed out a lot of the problems associated with legalization," Ohman said. "There's tremendous value in reaching out and talking to people in (a legalized state's) Legislature as well as in the industry. There's a lot to be learned, and we can serve as role models or provide a map towards legalization."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Rule would increase THC levels allowed by Leni's Law
Author: Andrew J. Yawn
Contact: Error - 404
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Montgomery Advertiser
