L.A. Times Letter to the Editor: Robert Stein Publishes Piece on Medical Cannabis

This letter to the editor was published on July 16, 2021, in the Los Angeles Times

As a member of a group of California pharmacists concerned about the purity, packaging and labeling of medical cannabis, I took note of your article’s assertion that cannabis extracts from illegal grows are making their way to “legal dispensaries in California and across the country.”

No licensed dispensary can receive cannabis products outside the legal chain of custody. But we have a long way to go to ensure that “legal” retailers are in fact selling only tested products. Among the issues confronting medical cannabis patients is very limited information on the analysis of the products they purchase.

To address this problem, the California Bureau of Cannabis Control must further strengthen labeling rules to require products to carry information similar to the “nutritional facts” on packaged foods.

In California, only a small fraction of cannabis products are purchased from licensed dispensaries, showing that we need far more enforcement and prosecution of illegal grows and processors. Enforcement should include auditing licensed operations to ensure their supply chain complies with California law.

Medical cannabis patients deserve unadulterated products.

Robert L. Stein, Claremont