The Vermont Medical Society is urging state officials to ban sale of cannabis with more than 15% tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.
Legislatures in Colorado and Washington are considering similar bans.
The Vermont Medical Society is also urging health warnings on all cannabis products once they go on the market legally next October.
The society represents 2,400 physicians and physician assistants.
Its board adopted a resolution asking the Legislature and the state Cannabis Control Board to ban cannabis containing more than 15% THC.
The doctors point to research associating marijuana with more than 15% THC with increased emergency department visits for respiratory distress and “serious medical outcomes,” according to the resolution. They also point to research indicating that adolescents are as prone to becoming addicted to THC as they are to opioids.
The state medical society is urging the Legislature and the Cannabis Control Board to require labeling on all cannabis products, warning that cannabis/THC may cause psychosis, impaired driving, addiction, and harm to fetuses and nursing babies.
The Cannabis Control Board, Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint and a spokesperson for House Speaker Jill Krowinski did not respond immediately to emailed requests for comment.