News Release

Does oral cannabidiol convert to THC, a psychoactive form of cannabinoid, in the stomach?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

<i>Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research</i>

image: Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research is the only peer-reviewed open access journal dedicated to the scientific, medical, and psychosocial exploration of clinical cannabis, cannabinoids, and the biochemical mechanisms of endocannabinoids. Led by Editor-in-Chief Daniele Piomelli, PhD, the Journal publishes a broad range of human and animal studies including basic and translational research; clinical studies; behavioral, social, and epidemiological issues; and ethical, legal, and regulatory controversies. Complete information is available on the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research website. view more 

Credit: ©Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, June 21, 2016-- A new study demonstrating the conversion of oral cannabidiol (CBD) to the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the presence of gastric fluids could explain why children given CBD to treat epilepsy had an unexpectedly high rate of adverse effects such as sleepiness and fatigue. The study, "Identification of Psychoactive Degradants of Cannabidiol in Simulated Gastric and Physiologic Fluid", is published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, a new peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Open Access Journal website.

To test whether cannabidiol delivered orally could be converted to THC by the acidic fluids in the stomach, researchers compared the by-products of CBD formed when it was exposed to normal physiological conditions or to simulated gastric fluids in the laboratory. John Merrick and Brian Lane, Pace Analytical Services (Oakdale, MN), Terri Sebree, Carol O'Neill, and Stan Banks, Zynerba Pharmaceuticals (Devon, PA), and Tony Yaksh, University of California, San Diego (La Jolla), suggest the need for alternative delivery methods that would reduce the potential for psychoactive cannabinoids to form.

"It is still not clear whether the human stomach can convert CBD into THC, but this study provides important confirmatory evidence that this may be the case," says Editor-in-Chief Daniele Piomelli, PhD, University of California-Irvine, School of Medicine.

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About the Journal

hCannabis and Cannabinoid Research is the only peer-reviewed open access journal dedicated to the scientific, medical, and psychosocial exploration of clinical cannabis, cannabinoids, and the biochemical mechanisms of endocannabinoids. Led by Editor-in-Chief Daniele Piomelli, PhD, the Journal publishes a broad range of human and animal studies including basic and translational research; clinical studies; behavioral, social, and epidemiological issues; and ethical, legal, and regulatory controversies. Complete information is available on the hCannabis and Cannabinoid Research website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Medicinal Food, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, and Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.


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