California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has approved listing “cannabis smoke” and THC as reproductive toxins under Proposition 65 and, in one year, cannabis products in the state will need to label their products with a Prop 65 warning label.
Cannabis smoke has been listed as a Prop 65 carcinogen since 2009; THC is a new addition. OEHHA’s Science Advisory Board’s Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee – as the “state’s qualified experts” – voted in support of listing cannabis as a reproductive toxin in December based on their conclusion that cannabis smoke and THC “have been shown to cause reproductive toxicity based on the developmental endpoint,” the agency said in its January 3 policy announcement.
Cannabis products in the state already carry the Prop 65 carcinogen warning and producers will have to amend their packaging to include the reproductive warnings.
In their report backing the listing, the agency points to seven studies that link cannabis to adverse postnatal growth, 11 studies linking cannabis to higher postnatal mortality rates, 27 studies that examined association between cannabis use by mothers and low birthweight, 18 studies that failed to find a link between cannabis and gestational age, and 19 studies that found mixed results linking cannabis use to preterm birth – 13 of those studies did not report significant associations between the two.
The THC listing will see a broader range of products carry the Prop 65 warning, including edibles, topicals, and vape products.
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