Cannabis Smoke Condensate I: The Effect of Different Preparation Methods on Tetrahydrocannabinol Levels

Abstract

Cannabis sativa contains more than 400 known compounds, of which the terpene chemicals, called cannabinoids, are unique to this species. The cannabinoids, which occur as the corresponding acids in the plant material, are the major psychoactive components in this species. The compounds are decarboxylated from the inactive acidic form into the active form by means of smoking. Previous research has made use of the tobacco industry's standard method and adaptations thereof to produce a cannabis smoke condensate. In this study the method of smoke production, which includes the puff frequency, puff length, and puff volume, was tested and the concentration of the major cannabinoid, 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and the amount of by-products produced under the different conditions were quantified. This study aimed at combining the existing methodology and at providing quantitative results on the influence of the preparation method on the concentration of THC in the smoke. The results indicate that the method of smoke production influences the amount of THC produced (e.g., longer puff length yielding a higher amount of THC). The THC concentration in the smoke condensate varied between 22.17 mg/g of cannabis and 54.00 mg/g, while the amount of by-products produced varied between 25.57 mg/g and 107.40 mg/g. Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) has been used for centuries as an medicinal plant, but today it is better known as a recreational drug. Recently, renewed interest in its medicinal properties has resulted in some countries registering cannabisderived preparations as a drug for the treatment of mainly nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. Over the last several years, cannabis-based medicines such as Sativex have been investigated for the treatment of spasticity, chronic pain, disruption of sleep, and urinary dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders (Smith, 2007). The activity of this plant is caused by cannabinoids. As far as is known, the cannabinoid THC is the most active component. There are various ways of using the plant material as a recreational drug or medicine, of which the preparation of a tea, as a baked product, and smoking are the most important. The preferred method of ingestion is by smoking the plant material. In all of these processes, heating the material plays an important role, as this will decarboxylate the naturally occuring inactive tetrahydro-

Molecular mechanisms of maternal cannabis and cigarette use on human neurodevelopment

“…, 2007). Additionally, cannabis preparations contain differing amounts of these various cannabinoids, confounding the psychoactive effects of the drug (Van der Kooy et al. , 2008).…”

Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Binding Activity and Quantitative Analysis of Cannabis sativa L. Smoke and Vapor

“…7) The identification of components in cannabis smoke condensate has been extensively studied. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] An excellent review on cannabis smoke condensate, its constituents and some biological effects is available. 18) Recently research has been undertaken to determine the safety and effectiveness of vaporization for the administration of cannabis and cannabinoids.…”

Constituyentes psicoactivos del cannabis y sus implicaciones clínicas: una revisión sistemática

“…One example is analyzing cannabis extracts mixed with tobacco (Hunault et al, 2008(Hunault et al, , 2009Van der Kooy, Pomahacova, and Verpoorte, 2008;Van der Kooy et al, 2009) or volunteers' own preparations (Morgan et al, 2012;van der Pol et al, 2013).…”