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The main active compound of Cannabis sativa is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which is quickly transformed into 11-nor-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (Δ9-THC-COOH) in the human body. This research aimed to validate an efficient, fast and low-cost technique for Δ9-THC-COOH analysis in urine with adaptations of existing analytical methods. The validation process was carried out in accordance with guidelines published by ANVISA and with international guidelines. The analyte was extracted by liquid-liquid extraction and identified/quantified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Linear curves ranges were from 5 to 300 ng mL-1 (r = 0.9993; y= 0.0269x – 0.0364). Intra and inter-day precision varied from 3.38 to 9.04% and accuracy was between 83 to 112.9%. The Δ9-THC-COOH remained stable after 15-30 days of storage at -20 °C (long-term test), after 5 freeze-thaw cycles and post-processing for up to 72 hours. The method is fast, low-cost, with detection limits and quantification below the cut-off (15 ng mL-1), which makes it useful and efficient for routine use at toxicology laboratories, for drug addiction and doping control, for forensic purposes and also for controlling the use of drugs of abuse by vehicle drivers.

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This study aimed to investigate a miniaturized extraction methodology with analysis by GC-MS for simultaneous detection and quantification of cocaine (COC), benzoylecgonine (BZE) and cocaethylene (CE) in hair to monitor drug addicts. The process was done following the international guide of the Scientific Task Force on Forensic Toxicology. After sample extraction, derivatizing solution was added, clean-up was done by the Hollow Fiber Liquid Phase Microextraction (HF-LPME) and adapted to use the ultrasonic bath, a simple and easy-to-handle device. Isobutylchloroformate was first used as derivatization reagent to convert benzoylecgonine to isobutylbenzoylecgonine. Analytes quantification occurred within a linear range of 0.1 to 20 ng mg-1 for COC and 0.05 to 5 ng mg-1 for BZE and CE, with a correlation coefficient of r > 0.99. Limits of detection were 0.05; 0.03 and 0.03 ng mg-1, whereas limits of quantification were 0.1; 0.05 and 0.05 ng mg-1 for COC; BZE and CE, respectively. There was no matrix effect interference. Intra and inter-day precision and accuracy were acceptable according to international guidelines. The analytical method HF-LPME-GC-MS was successfully applied to 14 hair samples from patients admitted in drugs detoxification programs. All samples resulted positive for cocaine (0.80-> 20 ng mg-1) and benzoylecgonine (0.20-> 5 ng mg-1), 11 samples were positive for cocaethylene (0.10-> 0.60 ng mg-1).

There are few data on the association of physical trauma and consumption of psychoactive substances. Objective: To investigate the use of marijuana and alcohol by trauma victims becomes important to subsidize prevention actions. Methods: 299 willingly given samples from individuals hospitalized in the years 2015-2017 due to trauma associated to the use of drugs of abuse were analyzed; the individuals were considered user of drugs of abuse either due to medical diagnosis or to self-reporting. Biological samples from the patients were first trialed for Cannabis; confirmation of cannabis use was performed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Alcoholaemia was also investigated. Results: Males made up the majority of the assessed subjects (91.4%), their average age being 40 years. The major causes for trauma included traffic accidents (46.82%) followed by violence/aggression (26.77%). Toxicological trialing for cannabis resulted in 14.72% positive samples and alcoholaemia varied between 9.38 to 17.85%. Conclusion: The abusive use of Cannabis is a risk factor for accidents and violence leading to traumatic injuries. The age range between the second and fourth decade of life and the automotive steering were relevant predictors for the use of Cannabis. Epidemiological studies provide important information to support preventive measures, considering the scarcity of studies on this theme.