Researchers have shed light on the risks associated with marijuana edibles in a move that will help European focused cannabis companies like World High Life Plc. (NEX: LIFE) define their strategies for the future
Researchers have conducted a study in which mice voluntarily ate dough with THC. That is the primary psychoactive component in marijuana. It opens the door to additional studies that will help to shed light on behavioral and physiological effects that occur in people when they eat food with marijuana.
According to researchers, this is the first study that looks at the voluntary consumption of marijuana-laced food in animals to mimic the use of this drug in humans. The study results were in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The study was titled, “Self-administration of edible 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and associated behavioral effects in mice.”
The study is among the first to report on voluntary oral THC consumption of animals. This is a method of consumption that is similar to the way humans take the drug.
In a paper Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers at IUPUI and Indiana University Bloomington reported that they identified mice that were less active, and with lower body temperatures, after consuming the edible THC.
The researchers also noted that the effects of edible THC varied based on the subject’s sex. The study showed that mice will self-administer – or voluntarily choose to consume – behavioral-effective doses of edible THC, and they do so repeatedly, Smoker said. The mice were given gradually increasing doses in a dough made from flour, sugar, salt, glycerol, and THC.
Understanding the health effects of eating marijuana edibles is important. It gives the growing popularity of that method of consumption in states where marijuana has been legalized.
According to Smoker, it is an important study because marijuana-laced food is soon becoming a reality for humans. This, he added, was due to the legalization of marijuana in several states in the US. He added, “People can buy cookies, candies and all sorts of things with THC in them. Back in the day, you had to make your own brownies or something like that, and now they are becoming more widely available and increasing in popularity.”
Marijuana edibles can elicit extreme, adverse reactions. Many of the commercially made marijuana-based products have a relatively higher concentration of THC than a marijuana plant does. In some cases, people are unsure how much of a marijuana edible they should eat and end up eating more than they should.
Questions researchers want to answer include the impact of edibles on people’s ability to think. Are there any long-term consequences for someone who has been eating edibles repeatedly and then stops? On the other hand, what are the consequences, if any, of a child accidentally eating a marijuana edible, Smoker said.
Building clarity for cannabis companies
While the study may seem like bad news, research like this will be some cannabis companies plan for the future. For example World High Life (NEX: LIFE) announced its intention to buy the British producer of cannabis oil, Love Hemp for 11.23 million dollars, as part of its strategy of entering the European market. WHL also announced that it will place shares worth 6.25 million dollars in the stock exchange of the United Kingdom.
The company plans to move into the European Medical cannabis and CBD markets. By leveraging the latest scientific discoveries, they will be able to plan their next moves into this market. In the past, it has been proven notoriously difficult to define a safe dose for THC, and mice may well provide the answer.