A Preliminary Study: The C-Vue Chromatograph as a Presumptive Tool to Assist Kansas Law Enforcement to Distinguish Between Legal and Illegal Forms of Cannabis

Abstract

Since the federal government now controls cannabis based on the total tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of 0.3% by dry weight, law enforcement, particularly in states in which cannabis is still controlled, faces many new challenges regarding the potential seizure of cannabis. No longer is the traditional Duquenois-Levine color reaction test utilized by law enforcement for many years able to distinguish between legal versus illegal forms of cannabis; both federally legal and illegal cannabis contain cannabinoids, which produce positive responses for this presumptive test. Law enforcement officers often need a quick answer when it comes to deciding whether or not to seize potential cannabis without the fear of a potential lawsuit. They often do not have the time to send a sample to an analytical lab and wait weeks for the results. This study evaluated the C-Vue Liquid Chromatograph (LC) as a simple, robust, affordable presumptive tool that, within less than an hour, allows officers to determine whether the sample is most likely legal (hemp) or illegal cannabis (marijuana) based on the 0.3% THC threshold. When this data was compared against a validated research-grade LC, using a set of 50 cannabis samples from different sources, the C-Vue correctly predicted whether the THC concentration was above or below the 0.3 wt. % threshold in 48 out of 50 samples, suggesting that the C-Vue may be useful as a presumptive tool.