WASHINGTON – Forensic labs rarely ever identify the presence of fentanyl in illicit cannabis samples, according to an analysis published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.
Harvard Medical School researchers reviewed drug chemistry results from nearly 12 million samples of illicit substances seized by law enforcement between the years 2013 to 2023. They identified fentanyl in fewer than two percent of the samples tested.
Fentanyl co-occurrence was most prevalent in heroin and was “low” among non-opioid substances. Fewer than three percent of cocaine seizures tested positive for fentanyl and only one percent of methamphetamine tested positive for it. Cannabis samples were least likely to test positive for fentanyl.
“Our results show no evidence of widespread fentanyl co-occurrence with cannabis,” the study’s authors concluded.
NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano has previously raised concerns that reports of fentanyl-tainted cannabis often receive widespread media attention, but are seldom verified by laboratory analyses. According to the findings of a 2023 report issued by New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management: “Misinformation related to the danger of accidental overdose due to cannabis ‘contaminated’ with fentanyl remains widespread. … Anecdotal reports of fentanyl ‘contaminated’ cannabis continue to be found to be false, as of the date of this publication.”
Armentano added, “This study’s failure to identify cannabis as a risk factor for inadvertent fentanyl exposure is reassuring. That said, concerns that marijuana sold on the unregulated market may be of variable quality and purity are valid. However, the best way to address these concerns is by taking cannabis products off street corners and placing them behind the counters of licensed businesses, where they are lab tested and labeled accordingly.”
Full text of the study, “Temporal and spatial trends in fentanyl co-occurrence in the illicit drug supply in the United States: A serial cross-sectional analysis,” appears in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.
About NORML
NORML advocates for changes in public policy so that the responsible possession and use of marijuana by adults is no longer subject to criminal penalties. NORML further advocates for a regulated commercial cannabis market so that activities involving the for-profit production and retail sale of cannabis and cannabis products are safe, transparent, consumer-friendly, and are subject to state and/or local licensure. Finally, NORML advocates for additional changes in legal and regulatory policies so that those who use marijuana responsibly no longer face either social stigma or workplace discrimination, and so that those with past criminal records for marijuana-related violations have the opportunity to have their records automatically expunged.
