Trace Metals in Cannabis Seized by Law Enforcement in Ghana and Multivariate Analysis to Distinguish among Different Cannabis Farms

Abstract

For hundreds of years, cannabis has been one of the most known cultivated plants due to its variety of uses, which include as a psychoactive drug, as well as for medicinal activity. Although prohibiting cannabis products, the countries of the African continent are the largest producers of cannabis in the world; a fact that makes the trafficking of cannabis-based illicit drugs a high priority for local law enforcement authorities. The latter are exceedingly interested in the use of chemical analyses for facilitating quantification, identification, and tracing of the origin of seized cannabis samples. Targeting these goals, and focusing on the country of Ghana, the present study used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the determination of 12 elements (Pb, Cu, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cd, As, Hg, Fe, Na, and K) in cannabis seized by Ghana’s law enforcement authorities and soils of cannabis farms. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was applied to distinguish among different cannabis farms and match them with the samples. As a result, 22 seized cannabis samples and 12 other cannabis samples with their respective soils were analyzed to reveal considerable As and Pb concentrations. As and Pb levels in cannabis were found up to 242 ppb for As and 854 ppb for Pb. Multivariate analysis was applied for separating different cannabis farms and seized samples based on elemental analysis, evidently linking the seized samples with two Ghana regions.

Trace element levels: How Substance Use Disorder (SUD) contributes to the alteration of urinary essential and toxic element levels

“…For example, there is a case series of 95 patients with lead toxicity due to Pb contamination of cannabis to increase its weight [ 65 ]. Also, some documents reveal high levels of Pb and As in the cannabis samples [ 66 , 67 ], which are more than the permissible amount for medicinal plants determined by the World Health Organization [ 67 ]. Based on another finding of the current study, there were no significant differences in trace element levels in different sub-groups of drug users.…”

Categorization of Marijuana Suspected Policies’ Seizures in Southeast Serbia According to Cannabinoids Content

“…To evaluate the quality of cannabis and the potential risk of use, it is necessary to monitor all these compounds. Dourvis et al showed that cannabis samples in Ghana have high levels of As and Pb, which are toxic elements [48].…”

Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials

“…A study of the analysis of Cannabis seized in Ghana followed by chemometric methods to try and classify different production farms was reported by Douvris et al 295 Twelve analytes (As, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Pb and Zn) were determined using ICP-MS following a microwave-assisted acid digestion (in the presence of hydrogen peroxide). Also sampled and digested were soil samples from three known cannabis farms.…”