Abstract
Cannabis
sativa is the most used illicit drug worldwide. The plant contains numerous natural
compounds, the major ones being hemp and marijuana. The compounds are
differentiated based on their concentration of cannabinoids, such as
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Samples with concentrations
below 0.3% of THC and high concentrations of CBD are defined as hemp. On the
other hand, Cannabis is defined as having THC concentrations higher than 0.3%.
This difference is vital since in the US the use/production of cannabis is
controversial while it is legal to cultivate/distribute hemp, which is heavily
used in industrial products such as clothing, food, and textiles. Current methods for differentiating hemp from cannabis include the Fast Blue B (FBB) and the Duquenois-Levine (Du-Le) tests. The former uses a colorimetric reagent, but it is carcinogenic. The Du-Le test turns purple when cannabis is present; however, it does not differentiate between hemp and marijuana, and produces false positives. Therefore, a need remains for an analytical method that can rapidly differentiate between hemp, the legal plant, and marijuana, the illegal (in most states) plant. FIU
scientists have developed colorimetric test strips and fast screening field
test kits that differentiate between cannabinoids in a sample, such as between
hemp and marijuana. The test strips use a solid substrate, capillary
microextraction of volatiles (CMV) device, for the colorimetric reaction. The
CMV allows for the strip to show an intense red color in the presence of high
concentrations of THC and orange color with high concentrations of CBD.
Benefit
Rapid screening for differentiating between cannabinoidsInexpensive and easy method to differentiate between hemp ad marijuana plantsAccurate method of detecting marijuana
Market Application
Drug detection/screeningLaw enforcementFood Safety
Publications
Experimental and ab initio investigation of the products of reaction from Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and the fast blue BB spot reagent in presumptive drug tests for cannabinoids
Brochure
