Risk of unintentional antidoping rule violations by consumption of hemp products

Hemp products receive a continuously growing consumer and market attention, and an expanding scope of applications is recognized, supported by suppliers operating through different distribution channels with the Internet being a major retail platform. Hemp products are prepared from cannabis plants and, therefore, might contain a variety of different natural cannabinoids. According to the regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), all natural and synthetic cannabinoids are prohibited in-competition, with the explicit exemption of cannabidiol (CBD).
Based on these facts the objective of the study was to investigate if the consumption of hemp products can lead to unintentional violations of anti-doping regulations by the ingestion and subsequent excretion of natural cannabinoids. Eight different commercially available hemp products such as beer, tea, oil, cookies and marzipan were included in the investigation. Following approval by the local ethics committee, controlled single dose administration studies were conducted to probe for the presence of cannabinoids in urine samples collected after consumption of the hemp products. Variable patterns of cannabinoids or their metabolites were observed in the urine samples. In 5 of 8 individuals (63%), urine samples collected 8 hours after consumption yielded findings of a prohibited cannabinoid that would have resulted in an unintentional violation of anti-doping regulations.