Other controlled substances are rarely, if ever, intentionally added to marijuana flower sold in the illicit market, according to findings published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.
Investigators affiliated with Arizona State University analyzed 118 botanical cannabis samples provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the US Postal Inspection Service. All samples were seized from unregulated markets. Samples were analyzed for traces of 16 other illicit substances, including fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Researchers described their investigation as “one of the largest studies of illicit drug contaminants in black- and gray-market cannabis in the United States.”
The drug most frequently identified in seized samples was cocaine. However, this was identified only at trace levels, indicating that its presence was the result of inadvertent contamination. None of the samples tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
The study’s authors concluded: “This pilot study demonstrates the presence of illicit drugs in black- and gray-market cannabis largely due to the contamination in the unkempt environment where they are being assembled and distributed. Intentional spiking appears to be rare. … While previous studies have suggested fentanyl co-occurrence in other illicit drugs such as heroin, MAMP, and cocaine, this study finds no evidence of widespread fentanyl contamination in illicit cannabis.”
A prior analysis of nearly 12 million illicit drug seizures similarly found “no evidence of widespread fentanyl co-occurrence with cannabis.”
The study’s findings reinforce that state-legal marijuana products, which must undergo lab testing prior to sale, are of greater purity than unregulated products.
This brief was republished from NORML. Full text of the study, “Evaluation of illicit drug contaminants in seized cannabis in Arizona and California, 2023-2024,” appears in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.
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