In a statement made on Friday, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced a “new requirement to measure and report results using a standard THC unit in all applicable human subjects’ research.”
Citing limitations in cannabis research due to THC exposure reporting inconsistencies, NIDA continued by saying, “standardized measure of THC in cannabis products is necessary to advance research by providing greater comparability across studies of both its adverse effects and potential medical uses.”
With the introduction of a standard THC dose, NIDA hopes to make comparing studies involving THC exposure easier.
“It is not the intent of this Notice to prescribe the quantity of THC that is permissible for use in research projects. Indeed, investigators are free to use more or less than 5mg of THC as appropriate for their study. However, for applicable studies, investigators will be required to report the quantity of THC using the standard unit,” NIDA stated in their notice.
Standard Dose as a Response to Feedback
The NIDA’s announcement to standardize the THC dose used in research comes a year after the organization first began to accept feedback on their proposal to develop a standard THC dose for cannabis products.
Having undertaken an “extensive stakeholder input” and a “consultation with experts in the field,” NIDA has come to the conclusion that the standard dose should be 5 mg.
NIDA Director Among the Most Vocal Advocates for Standard Dose
Nora Volkow, the director of the NIDA, has been among the most vocal advocates for a standard dose for THC research, having introduced the topic last year. Furthermore, she partly blames the current legal state of cannabis on the lack of research into the substance.
In an article published in the journal, Addiction, last year, Volkow argued that having a THC standard is beneficial. She further elaborated that the other levels of cannabinoids found in marijuana products can impact the results of a given study.
“Although cannabis remains an illicit substance in the United States, the expanded legalization by states requires us to develop the knowledge base that can help states develop policies to minimize risk from cannabis exposures, such as limits on the THC content of cannabis products,” Volkow wrote in her commentary.
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