Abstract
ABSTRACTStudies have compared the chemical properties of tobacco smoke to those of cannabis smoke, with the objective of identifying the chemical attributes responsible for the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of cannabis smoke. Comparative studies have included small sample sizes and produced conflicting results. The aim of this study was to assess the major chemical and physical variations of cannabis smoke across a range of cannabis samples of different potencies and origins, sourced from the illegal market in New Zealand. Twelve cannabis samples were studied ranging from 1.0% to 13.4% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9THC) content. A smoking machine was used to smoke “joints” (cannabis cigarettes) and the chemical/physical properties of the smoke assessed. The chemical constituents of the smoke extracts were analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A range of different chemical constituents (in addition to Δ9THC) were identified and their concentrations estimated. Terpenoids were identified as the major variable in cannabis smoke, showing a 40-fold range in total terpenoid content. Analysis of the total particulate matter showed that significantly different levels of particulate matter were produced between the different cannabis samples, ranging from 14.6 to 66.3 mg/g of cannabis smoked. The Δ9THC delivery efficiency during smoking was also investigated and produced consistent results showing a mean and median of 12.6% and 10.8%, respectively, of the theoretically available Δ9THC (ranging from 7.2% to 28.0%).
Highlights
Cannabis sativa L. is a plant that has a long international history of therapeutic and recreational application [1]
Our results show that in cannabis smoke, terpenoids show a total increase with increasing D9THC content
The potential for terpenoids to be precursors for carcinogens highlights the question of smoking technique, as smoking cannabis joints with higher levels of D9THC may lead to higher levels of carcinogens such as B[a]P
Summary
Cannabis sativa L. ( referred to as “cannabis”) is a plant that has a long international history of therapeutic and recreational application [1]. Work conducted in North Africa found an association between lung cancer and cannabis smoking [5,6,7], whereas USA case-control [8] and retrospective cohort [9] studies failed to find an association between cannabis smoke and lung cancer. A casecontrol study undertaken in New Zealand (NZ), where the use of tobacco/cannabis mixtures is less common, showed an 8% increase in the risk of lung cancer for a cannabis smoker per joint year (one “joint year” being the equivalent of one joint per day for one year) [10]
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