Integrative Review on Cannabis sativa L. Origin Traceability

Abstract

Marijuana, dried and ground Cannabis, is the most consumed illicit drug in the world. Many undesirable and risky effects to human health are caused by its use. As Cannabis derived drugs and products gain popularity across the world, there has been more and more reports on mislabeled cannabinoid content of Cannabis plants, concentrates and edibles, as well as the number of health issues and deaths caused by their use. In spite of that, many countries have been making their laws more flexible as to marijuana purchase, sale, possession and consumption. Therefore, the development of methodologies capable of tracing the geographical origin of the seized samples, whether for quality control or forensic purposes, is increasingly necessary. Thus, our objective was to perform an integrative review on Cannabis traceability studies to assess the research being dedicated to this issue. We have found only 20 published scientific papers, using the databases and keywords employed, and several of these papers were published over a decade ago. We conclude that the efforts to trace Cannabis are not keeping up with the rapid changes and flexibilization in the legislation of many countries regarding legalization of the medicinal and/or recreational use of Cannabis.