Planta Med 2008; 74 - P-17
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1075213

Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation of Cannabis: Is there an Effect on the Chemical Composition of the Volatile Oil?

Z Mehmedic 1, D Slade 1, H Denham 1, S Chandra 1, D Stanford 1, IA Khan 1, 2, MA ElSohly 1, 3
  • 1National Center for Natural Products Research,
  • 2Department of Pharmacognosy,
  • 3Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy,The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA

The chemical composition of the volatile oil of cannabis as well as other constituents has been the subject of several investigations [1,2]. Some of these investigations were directed toward establishing a chemical profile for plant materials of different genetic make up or different geographic origin [3,4]. In forensic investigations, the question of where a specific seizure of marijuana was produced is commonly asked. We have previously described a procedure for determining the geographical origin of marijuana samples based on complete chemical profile of the samples' extracts using GC/MS [3]. Broad classification was easily achievable, e.g. domestic vs. foreign, indoor vs. outdoor, and defining the country of origin of foreign samples was possible with a high degree of accuracy (> 80%). The method, however, was lengthy and labor intensive. In an attempt to simplify the chemical profiling method and in recognition of the increased potency of illicit marijuana samples we embarked on a procedure that focuses on the chemical composition of the volatile oil. This avoids the high levels of cannabinoids and simplifies the chemical analysis. This investigation is focused on establishing a protocol for the preparation of the volatile oil from different samples with consistency and establishing the best chromatographic conditions for the separation of the volatile oil constituents for GC/FID analysis. The protocol was used for the analysis of the volatile oil of marijuana samples of the same genetic make-up but produced by either indoor or outdoor cultivation. Data will be presented showing sufficient differences to distinguish indoor vs. outdoor produced materials even if the plants were of the same genetic make-up (all produced from cuttings from the same mother plant). This suggests that perhaps a procedure based on the analysis of the volatile oil of cannabis could be developed for establishing geographical origin. Acknowledgements: This work is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (contract # N01DA-5-7746). References: [1] ElSohly MA (2006) Marijuana and the Cannabinoids, Humana Press, New Jersey. [2] ElSohly MA, Slade D. (2005) Life Sciences 78: 539–548. [3] Brenneisen R, ElSohly MA (1988) Journal of Forensic Science 33: 1385–1404. [4] Hood LVS, Barry GT (1978) Journal of Chromatography 166: 499–506.