What the review covered
Dryburgh and colleagues reviewed research on contamination, including microbes, metals and pesticides. Their search covered literature through December 2017. The review describes potential health concerns and how preparation or administration may affect exposure. Original review.
What it cannot quantify
The authors emphasized limited information about how often contamination occurs and its direct effects on people. A list of possible contaminants is not a measurement of their prevalence in a particular market, nor proof that a specific product will cause harm. Reliable interpretation requires information about the substance, concentration, exposure and person using it. This paper does not provide a current contamination rate for every regulated or unregulated product.
Read the original research
Cannabis contaminants: sources, distribution, human toxicity and pharmacologic effects.
British journal of clinical pharmacology
Citation
Laura M Dryburgh; Nanthi S Bolan; Christopher P L Grof; Peter Galettis; Jennifer Schneider; Catherine J Lucas; Jennifer H Martin. (2018). Cannabis contaminants: sources, distribution, human toxicity and pharmacologic effects.. British journal of clinical pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.13695