Abstract
Recent analysis of the cannabinoid content of cannabis plants suggests a shift towards use of high potency plant material with high levels of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and low levels of other phytocannabinoids, particularly cannabidiol (CBD). Use of this type of cannabis is thought by some to predispose to greater adverse outcomes on mental health and fewer therapeutic benefits. Australia has one of the highest per capita rates of cannabis use in the world yet there has been no previous systematic analysis of the cannabis being used. In the present study we examined the cannabinoid content of 206 cannabis samples that had been confiscated by police from recreational users holding 15 g of cannabis or less, under the New South Wales “Cannabis Cautioning” scheme. A further 26 “Known Provenance” samples were analysed that had been seized by police from larger indoor or outdoor cultivation sites rather than from street level users. An HPLC method was used to determine the content of 9 cannabinoids: THC, CBD, cannabigerol (CBG), and their plant-based carboxylic acid precursors THC-A, CBD-A and CBG-A, as well as cannabichromene (CBC), cannabinol (CBN) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THC-V). The “Cannabis Cautioning” samples showed high mean THC content (THC+THC-A = 14.88%) and low mean CBD content (CBD+CBD-A = 0.14%). A modest level of CBG was detected (CBG+CBG-A = 1.18%) and very low levels of CBC, CBN and THC-V (<0.1%). “Known Provenance” samples showed no significant differences in THC content between those seized from indoor versus outdoor cultivation sites. The present analysis echoes trends reported in other countries towards the use of high potency cannabis with very low CBD content. The implications for public health outcomes and harm reduction strategies are discussed.
Highlights
Analysis of the cannabinoid content of cannabis plants is of interest given the likelihood that both the medicinal effects and adverse health effects of cannabis consumption may be dictated by the concentration and interplay of certain phytocannabinoids
While there was wide variation in cannabinoid levels, high mean and median values of the total content of THC (THCtot) and low values of CBDtot and other potentially therapeutic cannabinoids are similar to those reported internationally in samples of cannabis identified as sinsemilla, commonly referred to as ‘‘skunk’’ [3,5,7]
This pattern of high THC/low CBD cannabis has become a focus of concerns over the potential mental health impacts of current cannabis use patterns
Summary
Analysis of the cannabinoid content of cannabis plants is of interest given the likelihood that both the medicinal effects and adverse health effects of cannabis consumption may be dictated by the concentration and interplay of certain phytocannabinoids. There remains considerable variability in THC levels within and across studies, as well as according to location, season, quality and freshness and type of cannabis (e.g., very high levels in Dutch niederweet; sinsemilla vs ditchweed vs hashish) [2,5,6,7,9,10,11] Despite these caveats, more recent short-term studies of cannabis seizures in disparate geographic regions confirm a consistent pattern of a predominance of THC and low or negligible levels of other important cannabinoids such as CBD, in samples identified as sinsemilla [12,13,14]. While there have been sporadic early reports of individual samples containing high THC levels [15], it has been proposed that this current pattern may be linked to a number of factors, including selective breeding of certain cannabis strains with a high THC/low CBD level, a preference for female plants (sinsemilla), the rise of widespread intensive indoor cannabis cultivation (a controlled growing environment), and global availability of seeds and equipment over the internet [6,7,8,9]
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