Frequent cannabis users demonstrate low knowledge of cannabinoid content and dosages

Abstract

Background: The legal status of cannabis is rapidly evolving, outpacing systematic research and educational efforts.

Aims: We investigated knowledge of cannabinoid content and dosages among frequent cannabis users.

Methods

A brief survey was administered in April 2019 (N = 472) at a cannabis advocacy event in a state with legal medical and recreational adult cannabis use.

Findings

Most participants (67%) used cannabis every day, 85% used cannabis for health or medical purposes. Knowledge of cannabis was mostly from participants’ own experiences (78%), with some receiving information from a medical cannabis caregiver or dispensary (23%) or their primary care provider (18%). The majority reported not knowing the effective dosages of THC (53% of participants) or CBD (68% of participants), other participants gave average estimates of 91 mg and 177 mg, respectively. Participants’ average estimates for high-THC (52%) and high-CBD (53%) as well as low-THC (28%), and low-CBD (30%) strains of cannabis were considerably higher than currently accepted definitions. Men, European Americans, and participants who had medical cannabis cards were more accurate in cannabinoid concentration estimates.

Conclusions

Frequent cannabis users reported low knowledge of and substantially overestimated cannabinoid content. The importance of education and research on cannabinoid dosages grows with increasing cannabis accessibility.

Keywords:

• Cannabis
• dose
• drug education
• harm reduction
• survey

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).