CANBERRA residents will soon be able to submit their home-grown cannabis for testing as part of a University of Sydney study.

The University’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, CAN-ACT study will be used to examine the outcomes of laws that decriminalised cannabis in the ACT in 2020.

The first element of the study is an anonymous online survey to investigate cannabis use, behaviours and attitudes among ACT residents, followed by an invitation to anonymously submit home-grown cannabis for testing.

The cannabis collected from growers’ homes will be analysed for cannabis content, including its main psychoactive components – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and non-intoxicating cannabidiol (CBD) – as well as a range of other cannabinoids and biologically active molecules, free of charge.

Participants will be able to view, anonymously, the analysis results from their cannabis samples online, and the study is only open to current residents of the ACT.

The researchers will also test for harmful contaminants that can be introduced during the cultivation process, including fungi-produced toxins, heavy metals, and pesticides.

Lead Researcher Professor Iain McGregor said growers who are achieving profound therapeutic effects with cannabis are naturally curious about what their cannabis contains.

The researchers hope their results will yield insights that can make home-grown cannabis use safer – such as how to reduce harmful contaminants that may have unintentionally entered the cultivation process, or whether (or when) to drive after consuming cannabis.

Results of the CAN-ACT study – which is expected to be completed in early 2023 – could well become a litmus test for the legalisation of cannabis in other states and territories in Australia.