Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/557366
long term? Will it impair people to a dangerous level? Probably not, based on currently available anecdotes, but no one has yet published any data on those important points. DRUG TESTING? A frequent pragmatic question about the use of infused lotions has to do with whether users can pass a drug test. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not clear, either. Many sources say users cannot test positive, but others say users definitely do. An educated guess is that this may depend on the potency of the marijuana derivative in the lotion medium, as well as what that medium is—some could be more amenable to transcutaneous absorption than others. Also, drug tests come in many forms, and they are highly susceptible to both false positive and false negative findings. When asked, massage therapists using infused lotions at a high-volume facility in Denver reported no positive drug tests for themselves or their clients. The kind of drug test used in most employment situations is a urine test. So far, users of low-concentration THC- or CBD-infused lotions do not tend to test positive in this context. That said, more intrusive drug tests that look at blood or hair samples may have a different finding. Also, because these lotions have been available for a relatively short period of time, we don't know if drug test results might change with long-term usage. For those living in states with legal marijuana, take-home urinalysis tests are often available at dispensaries or head shops. These are a way to monitor how you process infused lotions. LEGAL ISSUES? Colorado, the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, does not regulate how massage therapists use infused lotions in practice—they can provide it for their clients, or their clients can bring it with them. However, they are not allowed to sell products for their clients to take home, and adding a surcharge specifically for the cannabis-infused lotions may be legally questionable. Alaska has legalized the recreational use of marijuana, but the issue of topical applications has not been addressed in the law. The Marijuana Legislative Board is still being formed, and it will create some structure for how the laws are applied. Conceivably, clients could bring their own lotion to their massage, but if massage therapists offer the lotion as a treatment option—and especially if they increase the fee for this costly application—it could be construed as selling marijuana without a license. F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 41 Some therapists report that the level of overall relaxation they and their clients achieve can be much more profound than they see with standard massage therapy lubricants. PATHOLOGY PERSPECTIVES