Cannabis products may harbor fungal toxins harmful to human health, but regulations are uneven or nonexistent

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Kimberly D. Gwinn, University of Tennessee

(THE CONVERSATION) Hemp and cannabis host many fungi inside and outside the plant, most of which are harmless to most people. However, certain types of fungi such as Aspergillus and Fusarium pose potential health concerns, particularly for the immunocompromised, both through direct infection and consumption of the toxins they produce.

There are currently no state or national testing mandates for Fusasrium toxins in cannabis, and regulations vary greatly for Aspergillus toxins. To better understand the effects of these fungi and their toxins on human health and disease, I assembled a research team of plant pathologists and toxicologists to conduct a review of the scientific literature on fungal contaminants in cannabis.

We found that the toxins these fungi produce can make it through the manufacturing process and remain present in many cannabis products.

Fungal toxins in hemp and cannabis

The 2018 U.S. Farm Bill defined hemp as any part of the plant Cannabis sativa with levels of THC at or below 0.3%. THC is the primary...