Cannabis oil or extract products for vaporization are the second fastest growing cannabis segment by revenue behind flower in the U.S., with sales expected to reach $182.84 billion by 2030. As the cannabis industry develops, regulators and cannabis manufacturers alike need actionable methods for toxicological risk assessment of inhalable cannabis concentrate additives.
This month, PAX and True Terpenes announced a collaboration with Portland State University’s Department of Chemistry on a paper establishing guidelines for testing the safety of cannabis vapes. Their joint paper “A First-Tier Framework for Assessing Toxicological Risk from Vaporized Cannabis Concentrates” has been published in Toxics, an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal, published online by MDPI.
PAX says there is little science-based guidance for consumers, manufacturers, or regulators to evaluate the safety of additives. The paper presents a preliminary framework to conduct such risk assessments, to help manufacturers and regulators without toxicological expertise to evaluate the health risks of inhalable cannabis concentrate additives.
“Research limitations have created an environment where clear, actionable guidance doesn’t exist the way we’d like around inhalation safety. We view this paper as a starting point,” said Dr. Echo Rufer, Director of Health Sciences at PAX, PhD, and Diplomate American Board of Toxicology.
PAX of San Francisco was spun off from Juul, the second-largest e-cigarette maker in the U.S. Ever since separating itself from embattled Juul, whose products are currently banned by the FDA and which faces more that 4,000 lawsuits, PAX has openly sought to distance itself from its checkered past. Currently a lead global provider of cannabis vapes, PAX has become a vocal proponent of safety in the vape industry.
True Terpenes of Hillsboro, OR focuses on innovation in producing terpenes, cannabis sensory and active ingredient solutions. True Terpenes says it leverages expertise and advanced analytics to create products under the industry’s highest standards for safety and quality.
“As researchers, scientists, and experts in this industry, it’s our responsibility to advocate for the consumer and protect their health,” said Dr. Shawna Vreeke, Head of Research & Toxicology at True Terpenes and PhD. “We created and implemented this methodology to review every ingredient that goes into every True Terpenes formulation and wanted to share this research with the community.”