CBD can cause false-positive drug tests, Banner Health warns
CBD doesn’t have to contain the psychoactive substance of marijuana, but drinking it can still result in a failed drug test, officials with Arizona’s largest health system warn.
People in Arizona and across the country claim they failed a drug test when they used only CBD, Banner Health warned Tuesday in a written statement.
CBD is a derivative of cannabis that does not necessarily contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that produces high. However, Banner said some CBD products may contain small amounts of THC, leading to positive drug tests. Banner did not specify how many failed attempts were reported.
People use CBD to treat a variety of issues, including chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation and insomnia, even if the CBD product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a prescription drug used to treat in rare, severe forms of epilepsy.
Maureen Roland, director of the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, told The Arizona Republic that people who use CBD products should make sure they get them from a “reputable distributor” who can show by laboratory analytics that their CBD is free of THC.
Want to know all the latest health news? Download the free azcentral.com app.
Roland said the poison center has also received reports of children ingesting CBD products and ending up in emergency rooms with symptoms of THC toxicity. He said people should be careful when they have small children at home.
“It’s a new and emerging problem because we’re seeing a lot of products being sold and bought,” Roland said. “And the FDA, the states most involved, just needs to get involved, as far as monitoring what consumers are selling.”
The FDA has issued a warning about products containing delta-8 THC
Last week, the FDA sent out warning letters to companies selling unapproved CBD products.
The FDA also warns against products containing delta-8 THC, a form of THC that can be derived from CBD derived from hemp in concentrated amounts. Delta-8 THC can cause psychoactive effects, even if it is less potent than traditional delta-9 THC. The FDA says it has received reports of adverse events experienced by people who have consumed products containing delta-8 THC.
Other delta-8 THC products also contain delta-9 THC. A 5.7-gram delta-8 honey stick sold over the counter at an herbal supplement shop in Tempe contains 3 mg of delta-9 THC, according to an online lab report available via the product’s QR code. This is equivalent to a small amount of food sold at a licensed cannabis dispensary.
Urine drug tests screen for marijuana by looking for a THC metabolite that is different from CBD, according to Banner Health.
“CBD itself does not cause a false positive drug test but people can still test positive for marijuana because there may be a small amount of THC in these products, especially if it is made from hemp, ”Drs. Steve Dudley, director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, said in a written statement contained in the Banner Health news release.
Hemp refers to any part of the cannabis plant with a content not exceeding 0.3% THC. The news release says that CBD extracted from hemp may contain a small amount of THC even if the label does not say so, meaning that people who regularly use CBD can build up high levels. of THC in their body to trigger a positive drug test.
While there are drug trials that measure a person’s CBD to THC ratio that can help prove that they are telling the truth about using only CBD, owners may choose to follow their decision about discipline, as by Dudley in the statement.
“The consequences of a failed drug test can be severe, including the loss of a job that can have many financial implications,” the news statement said. “Patients and providers need to be informed. these risks before starting these therapies. “
Numerous reports from the FDA and independent labs have shown CBD products to contain more THC than would suggest the legal origins of hemp, Dudley said.
Christina van Waasbergen is a journalism student at Northwestern University and an intern covering health care at The Arizona Republic. He can be reached at [email protected]
