The international Cannabis Allergy Working Group was established in 2020 by EAACI, together with the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology and the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The group consists of over 40 members from different countries and with different expertise including clinical, academic, technical and regulatory. The group meets every month virtually and currently has three projects which are well established. These include the drafting of a state-of-the-art summary paper on cannabis allergy which is in the final stages of preparation and is about to be sent to the three societies for approval before being submitted to Allergy for consideration. The second project is a large survey of allergists knowledge, attitudes and practices in the USA, Canada and Europe. This is in progress, with the need for more responses before being analysed. The 2020 TF bid was for 13,000 euros for part-funding of this survey, and the 5,000 awarded has already been utilised to get the survey up and running. The remaining 8,000euros will enable the survey team to undertake the full analysis of the results; additional funding has already been awarded by CSACI and ACAAI. The most recent project is the establishment an international biobank and registry to improve the diagnosis of this condition, which is the subject of the 2022 TF bid. This work is vital as there are currently no useable commercial diagnostic tests available,and cannabis allergy is likely to become an increasing concern as more countries decriminalise or legalise its use. Cannabis use increased during lockdown due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and this suggests that despite its illegal nature, cannabis use, and consequent allergy, may continue to grow.

Chair: Isabel Skypala
Secretary: Ludger Klimek