A New Safety Framework for Cannabis

PAX is proud to announce that we’ve partnered with Portland State University’s Department of Chemistry and True Terpenes to develop a first-of-its-kind, open-source cannabis framework for safety evaluation. The safety framework will serve as a guide to conduct risk assessments on the additives used in cannabis concentrates for vaporization. PAX, True Terpenes and Portland State University have jointly published the paper A First-Tier Framework for Assessing Toxicological Risk from Vaporized Cannabis Concentrates in Toxics, an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal.

Due to its convenience and discretion, vaporization has quickly become a popular choice among cannabis enthusiasts. And there’s an abundance of devices, cartridges and pods to choose. Currently, 38 states allow recreational or medicinal cannabis and vaping is quite often a starting point for new consumers. But there has been very little science-based guidance for consumers, manufacturers, or regulators to evaluate the safety of additives in these cannabis concentrate products. Now, there will be an established framework to help evaluate the health risks of inhalable cannabis concentrate additives. The safety framework will also help increase safety standards across the cannabis industry and reduce consumer risk, all using New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) that avoid animal testing.

“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 and look forward to continuing to build on it as research and testing capabilities evolve,” said Dr. Echo Rufer, Director of Health Sciences at PAX, PhD, and Diplomate American Board of Toxicology. “We hope that manufacturers and regulators alike can leverage our framework for a data-driven, consistent approach to product formulation and policy making. We’re excited to be partnering across industry and academia, to make this widely accessible to those who don’t readily have access to deep toxicological expertise—in service of the greater cannabis movement.”

PAX will always be focused on crafting safe, innovative ways to experience and enjoy cannabis. But the health and safety of our industry, products and customers is vitally important. While 2022 was full of new PAX devices and products, this safety framework announcement may be our most important of the entire year.