Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

A recent article published by FiveThirtyEight (1) was highlighted on major news networks across the US, bringing attention to a very important issue facing the cannabis industry: how much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is actually in products. Here, we highlight some of the findings from the FiveThirtyEight report and what it means for the cannabis industry.

This column discusses where the USDA went wrong in their final rule regarding hemp and how the author thinks it can be fixed.

This work describes an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry method for the analysis of various heavy metals in cannabis sativa plant material.

This article focuses on the technology being used in new rapid field tests that combine one-time-use color testing with a colorimetric panel that provides an identification and semiquantitation of THC and THCA.

Ric Cuchetto discusses the technology behind THC remediation and some of the challenges it presents.

A novel mid-infrared spectrometer that measures total THC in dried, ground cannabis plant material in 2 min is discussed as well as the applications of this analyzer for law enforcement, forensic laboratories, and regulatory agencies.

A closer look at some of the current in vitro evidence suggesting that cannabinoids possess potent activity against a range of gram-positive bacteria.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a draft guidance on developing cannabis-based drugs. These guidelines come weeks after the White House announced it had completed reviewing the draft guidance.

A large data set from Washington (140,000 flower samples) is scrutinized here for evidence of consistently propagated strains with higher than a 2-to-1 ratio.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently issued a temporary delay regarding enforcement on two provisions of its hemp regulations (1).

Commentary on how medicinal cannabis can evolve in a similar manner as the pharmaceutical industry did.

Compact mass spectrometry, in combination with suitable sample introduction techniques-such as the atmospheric solids analysis probe, thin-layer chromatography, and classical liquid chromatography techniques-can be used effectively for the detection and quantification of cannabinoids and pesticides in cannabis-related material and contraband.

An investigation of C18 and phenyl-hexyl column chemistries for definitive identification of 13 synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in patient samples.

An interview with Jeff Dahl, an applications scientist at Shimadzu Scientific Instruments; Joe Konschnik, a business development manager for the food and beverage market at Restek Corporation; Andre Santos, the Americas market development manager at Agilent Technologies; Alicia D. Stell, the CEM product development lab manager; and Xiaoyan Wang, a research scientist at UCT

QuEChERS is introduced to the discipline of forensic testing as a viable method for the extraction of pesticides and cannabinoids in various complex sample matrices

Other techniques for monitoring cannabinoids, such as GC–MS and LC–MS, are limited to screening known species and are therefore always one step behind the designer drug market-where new, previously unknown variations of analogs of cannabinoids are constantly being synthesized. The method presented here addresses this problem by providing accurate masses for all detected species, thus allowing postanalysis identification of initially untargeted compounds.

An interview with Sue Sisley

An interview with Uma Dhanabalan

An interview with Jeffrey C. Raber

Giuseppe Cannazza and Cinzia Citti from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia discuss the growing interest in the use of medicinal cannabis in Europe and the analytical challenges involved.

Efficient synthesis of complex cannabinoids is possible while avoiding marijuana cultivation.

David Fulper, PhD, director of technology support at Catalent, shares insights on the challenges and opportunities for cannabis-based therapeutics.