Quantification of Cannabinoid Content in Cannabis

Authors: Y Tian F Zhang K Jia M Wen Ch Yuan

Publish Date: 2015/09/12

Volume: 82, Issue: 4, Pages: 628-633

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Abstract

Cannabis is an economically important plant that is used in many fields in addition to being the most commonly consumed illicit drug worldwide Monitoring the spatial distribution of cannabis cultivation and judging whether it is drug or fibertype cannabis is critical for governments and international communities to understand the scale of the illegal drug trade The aim of this study was to investigate whether the cannabinoids content in cannabis could be spectrally quantified using a spectrometer and to identify the optimal wavebands for quantifying the cannabinoid content Spectral reflectance data of dried cannabis leaf samples and the cannabis canopy were measured in the laboratory and in the field respectively Correlation analysis and the stepwise multivariate regression method were used to select the optimal wavebands for cannabinoid content quantification based on the laboratorymeasured spectral data The results indicated that the delta9tetrahydrocannabinol THC content in cannabis leaves could be quantified using laboratorymeasured spectral reflectance data and that the 695 nm band is the optimal band for THC content quantification This study provides prerequisite information for designing spectral equipment to enable immediate quantification of THC content in cannabis and to discriminate drug from fibertype cannabis based on THC content quantification in the field

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