Genetic identification of Cannabis varieties based on marker STR analysis: Preliminary studies

Abstract

Cannabis plants have been cultivated around the world for thousands of years and are widely used in the textile industry and medicine. From the point of view of analyses for the needs of the justice system, they can be divided into two categories – hemp of the fibrous type and the narcotic type, which differ in the content of the psychoactive compound THC. According to the guidelines, varieties with a content of active compounds above 0.2 % are considered to be the narcotic type. The standard approach used to distinguish between these two types of Cannabis is commonly used toxicological analysis. However, if the content of differentiating active compounds or the type of plant part sent to the laboratory is problematic, genetic identification may be a good solution. The subject of the study of the research consortium was the genetic analysis of Cannabis samples using STR markers. The collected population database of samples of Cannabis from fibrous and narcotic varieties was analyzed taking into account the basic statistical parameters describing the population. It was used to develop a method of genetic profiling of Cannabis on the basis of a selected set of 23 STR genetic markers, which were subjected to preliminary statistical analyses. The developed genetic models will be used to select the most useful genetic markers for the genetic identification of Cannabis and will enable the creation of an identification tool for forensic experts.