Canadian Weed!

[JohnCM]

Reasons unclear for ban on mixing caffeine and cannabis, researchers say

By PERRIN GRAUER STARMETRO VANCOUVER
Tues., April 17, 2018

VANCOUVER—A government prohibition against mixing cannabis and caffeine makes little sense, say some research scientists. There is only speculation that the combination might pose a risk.

The practice, so common in the legendary pot capital of Amsterdam that cannabis dispensaries are called “coffee shops,” appears unlikely to be coming to Canada anytime soon.

Researchers and experts believe a ban on combining caffeine and cannabis found in Bill C-45 (the so-called Cannabis Act) is intended to preempt potential harm from mixing the two substances, despite there being no evidence such a danger exists.

“It seems like the overriding philosophy for a lot of this is: ban anything that might be a concern,” said M-J Milloy, research scientist with the B.C. Centre on Substance Use. “Then it's easier to un-ban … rather than trying to do it the other way around.”

Milloy said while both caffeine and cannabis have been known cause tachycardia (an abnormally fast heart-rate), he hadn’t heard of any adverse effects coming from combining the two.

Milloy speculated banning caffeine and cannabis could mean the government wishes to avoid commercial production of highly-caffeinated energy drinks laced with THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis.

The prohibition, outlined in the back pages of Bill C-45 (the so-called Cannabis Act), lists caffeine along with alcohol and nicotine as three substances that cannot be combined with cannabis in commercial products. A final vote on the bill is expected in June.

Health Canada declined to comment on why it wants to ban the combination of cannabis and caffeine in commercial products. Nor did it have any scientific data or research to provide.

Instead, it referred StarMetro to a report written by the task force on cannabis legalization and regulation.

The report’s stated mandate is to “maintain and improve the health of Canadians by minimizing the harms associated with cannabis use.” It recommended the ban on combining cannabis with caffeine, though it gives no reasons for that conclusion.

A search of documents listed as sources for this report found caffeine was referred to less than half a dozen times, and never in relation to cannabis.

Gary Wenk, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the Ohio State University and Medical Centre, said it’s unsurprising the government feels it needs to manage people’s use, given the delight humans have historically taken in mixing uppers and downers.

“People like to combine cannabis with things that take their bodies and brains in both directions,” Wenk said, adding he also knew of no real danger stemming from mixing caffeine and THC.

He said both compounds can stimulate the brain’s reward systems by causing the release of dopamine — sometimes called the pleasure transmitter. But banning the mixing of cannabis with substances simply because they have the power to produce dopamine, Wenk said, would mean all kinds of everyday edibles would have to be prohibited.

“Fat, salt and sugar are all going to generate their own euphoria, their own pleasure, so if you're using that logic … then you might not want to put it (cannabis) in things like brownies or cookies,” he said. “That's not going to happen.”

Edibles are currently legal for medical marijuana users, and are expected to be legalized for the general public within a year of the final approval of Bill C-45.

Neil Boyd, professor and director at the school of criminology at Simon Fraser University, said he understood the government’s reluctance to permit mixing caffeine and cannabis, regardless of whether there was definitive proof it could be harmful.

“I don't know that it's a great idea to be mixing these drugs,” Boyd said, pointing to the checkered history of alcoholic energy drinks as an example of how permitting the sale of pre-mixed, legal substances can have unexpected — and sometimes tragic — results. Quebec is currently moving to ban high-alcohol, high-sugar drinks province-wide following the drowning death of 14-year-old Athena Gervais, who had reportedly been drinking such products leading up to her disappearance last month.

But he added that regardless of what companies were compelled to do by law, individuals would be free to do as they pleased.

“One is not precluded from individually choosing to mix cannabis and caffeine, or cannabis and alcohol,” Boyd said. “It happens all the time.”