Cannabis drug analysis

Gough (1991) has edited a book on the analysis of drugs of abuse using various analytical procedures. Several chapters include information on the use of TLC in drug analysis. The applications section of the first chapter includes a well-organized compendium of TLC systems which are of value for the analysis of solid dosage forms and natural products such as opium and cannabis. 

Schizotypy correlation. Two hundred eleven healthy adults who used cannabis showed higher scores on schizotypy, borderline, and psychoticism scales than never-users. Multivariate analysis, covarying lie scale scores, age, and educational level indicated that high schizotypal traits best discriminated subjects who had used cannabis from never-users, whether or not they reported having used other recreational drugs. The results indicated that cannabis use was related to a personality dimension of psychosis-proneness in healthy people k... 

Ben Amar M Potvin S (2007). Cannabis and psychosis what is the link Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 39, 131-142 Bennett GA, Davies E Thomas P (2003). Is oral fluid analysis as accurate as urinalysis in detecting drug use in a treatment setting Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 72, 265-9 Bertschy G (1995). Methadone maintenance treatment an update. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 245, 114-24... 

Analysis of countries which have conducted both school surveys and national household surveys shows that there is, in general, a positive correlation between the two variables, particularly for cannabis, ATS and cocaine. The correlation, however, is weaker than that of lifetime and annual prevalence or current use and annual prevalence among the general population but stronger than the correlation between opiate use and IDU-related HIV cases and, stronger than the link between treatment and drug use. 

Cannabis products can be found in a large number of forms, including herbal material, resin and oil. A wide variety of utensils associated with cannabis use may also be encountered by the forensic scientist. To determine whether or not cannabis products are present, a thorough physical examination of the material should be carried out. The next step is determined by the type of drug submitted for analysis. Herbal material may be identified directly by observation of the... 

At the present time, it is possible to carry ont identification and quantification of a wide variety of drugs, ranging from those which are entirely herbal or fnngal in origin Cannabis and its prodncts), throngh those which are semisynthetic (cocaine and diamorphine), to those which are entirely synthetic (the amphetamines). A wide variety of techniqnes can be applied for their analysis and it is rare that an issue of sensitivity becomes apparent. In terms of dmg identification and quantification, the dmg analyst is in a particnlarly strong position. 

There is also the issue of which numerical method should be used for drug comparison investigations. This has been well studied for heroin, but the arena is wide open for analysis and numerical comparison of Cannabis and its products, cocaine, amphetamines, tryptamines and other synthetic or semi-synthetic drugs. How these methods should be reported has still not been fully explored. 

Hawks RL (1982) The constituents of cannabis and the disposition and metabolism of cannabinoids. In Hawks R (ed) The analysis of cannabinoids in biological Fluids. Research Monograph 42. National Institute on Drug Abuse, RockvUle, pp 125-137... 

Comparison between alcohol and marijuana. It can be difl cult to evaluate the relative danger of marijuana without a comparison to alcohol. When a summary of the dangers of marijuana is reviewed, the drug may sound very damaging. But, most people are not aware of all of the dangers of alcohol and a review of the results of alcohol abuse may (or may not) have an impact on a person s assessment of the danger of marijuana. Clearly, alcohol is l al for adults over 21 to use and marijuana is not. Therefore, marijuana is inherently more dangerous to possess than alcohol. However, this analysis, conducted in the Cannabis Book, involves the acute and chronic effects of these substances. 

For example, large compounds such as the can-nabinoids are not particularly thermally labile and benefit for derivatization, however, this has implications in drug profiling as derivatization results in altering the chemical structure. LC analysis of can-nabinoids will effect their identification but difficulties in resolution may hamper quantification and profiling. In practice many laboratories now identify cannabis on the basis of microscopy rather than instrumental techniques. 

GC is also the predominant technique to analyze cannabis products like marijuana and hashish. Here, the determination of the total tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content or the available THC content is useful, because THC-acid is present in these samples as well as THC. The application of direct GC is the technique of choice for this determination, after extraction from the plant material with a suitable solvent such as methanol or chloroform. Methaqualone and phencyclidine and their analogs are other drug compounds well suited for gas chromatographic analysis. For some benzodiazepines, thermal... 

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