FDA Issues Warning Statement About Contaminated Illegal Synthetic Cannabinoid Products
The FDA released a statement this week about reports of severe illnesses and deaths resulting from the use of synthetic cannabinoid products that have been contaminated with brodifacoum.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement this week (1) about reports of severe illnesses and deaths resulting from the use of synthetic cannabinoid products that have been contaminated with brodifacoum, a very long-acting anticoagulant commonly used in rat poison. According to the statement, these unapproved products are being sold in convenience stores and gas stations as substitutes for cannabis under names such as “K2” and “Spice.”
The statement came from Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, Peter Marks, MD, PhD, who is the director for the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and Janet Woodcock, MD, who is the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. They stressed that the presence of brodifacoum in these illegal and unregulated products poses severe health risks because it can cause severe bleeding. They also explained that in recent months, hundreds of individuals in about 10 states (many in the Midwest) have been hospitalized after experiencing such complications.
“Today, we’re joining together to send a strong warning to anyone who may use synthetic marijuana products that these products can be especially dangerous as a result of the seemingly deliberate use of brodifacoum in these illegal products,” they said in the statement.
The statement also stressed that the use of these illegal products poses significant public health concerns for both individuals who use them and the U.S. blood supply because there is the potential for contamination of blood products donated by those individuals who have used these substances...
For more information, please read the full press release.
References:
Ep 24, Part III: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 26th 2024In the final part of this episode, Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn discuss the need for a national entity to centralize cannabis data collection, moving from snapshot data to continuous updates. They emphasize the importance of accurate lab data and adverse event tracking, suggesting QR codes on packaging to report issues. Yasha suggests harsher consequences for result manipulation and suggests collaboration between state departments and federal entities to support underfunded regulators. They also discuss the potential benefits of off-the-shelf testing and the importance of stability testing. Finally, Yasha shares his top three reading recommendations for the audience.
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