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Almost half of THC-dominant cannabis flowers mislabelled

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Over 1.5 million cannabis flowers were analysed for their potency in the study

Data analysis from Israeli company GemmaCert shows 45 percent of THC-dominant flowers are mislabeled in regulated markets around the world.

In 2020, GemmaCert accumulated over 1.5 million potency scans in 35 countries on six continents.

The provider of reliable solutions for cannabis analysis, has now released results under its global initiative to map cannabis strength worldwide and evaluate the accuracy of advertised cannabis potency based on actual results.

According to the Israeli company, the global THC average in THC-dominant flowers tested on GemmaCert devices in regulated markets in 2020 was 15.35 percent.

For CBD in CBD dominant flowers, it was 8.90 percent.

Dry flowers form the largest product category in the cannabis market, according to BDS Analytics, flowers comprised 45 percent of US cannabis retail sales in 2020.

GemmaCert flower potency data for key markets included:

Flowers

USA

Canada

The Netherlands

South Africa

Australia

Israel

THC Dominant

16.31%

15.89%

15.54%

14.09%

15.61%

15.72%

CBD Dominant

10.39%

8.32%

9.85%

10.78%

9.00%

8.59%

Meanwhile, a recent study by the University of North Carolina and Wake Forest University found that most cannabis flower products advertised online by dispensaries across the US claimed THC levels above 15 percent.

This follows an earlier study in Washington state which showed that products with labels claiming THC levels of 15 percent or higher accounted for over 90 percent of sales.

Unsurprisingly, the price of cannabis rises with increasing concentrations of THC.

The GemmaCert data confirms that actual THC potency levels are on average above 15 percent for THC dominant flowers.

The data also indicates that a meaningful share of flowers are mislabelled with THC values higher than actual:

THC Dominant Flowers

World

USA

Canada

Netherlands

South Africa

Australia

Israel

% of flowers with THC < 15%

45%

30%

37%

41%

64%

37%

38%

GemmaCert was founded in 2015 in collaboration with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and owns the world’s largest reference database of cannabis spectra sourced from around the globe over the years.

Inaccurate labelling remains a common problem in the cannabis industry, says the firm, and these findings highlight a need for consumers to be aware that there is a reasonable chance they are overpaying for these goods.

CEO Dr Guy Setton, commented: “Cannabis companies need to do much more to ensure their labels are accurate. Otherwise, consumer trust will erode, and brands will lose value.

“GemmaCert’s solutions for cannabis testing empower companies to carry out rigorous, timely, affordable, and reliable in-house testing so that they can continuously verify label accuracy.”

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