Drug testing and analysis
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Drug testing and analysis · Apr 2018
Potency of Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids in cannabis in England in 2016: Implications for public health and pharmacology.
In 2005 and 2008, studies reported that cannabis in England had become dominated by the sinsemilla (unseeded female) form. The average potency (Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] content) of this material had doubled over the previous decade. Cannabis resin then circulating contained approximately equal ratios of THC and cannabidiol (CBD), whereas sinsemilla was almost devoid of CBD. ⋯ Compared with 2005, resin had significantly higher mean THC (6.3%) and lower CBD (2.3%) contents (p < 0.0001). Although the average THC concentration in sinsemilla samples across the 5 constabularies has remained stable since 2005, the availability of this potent form of cannabis has further increased. Moreover, the now rarer resin samples show significantly decreased CBD contents and CBD:THC ratios, leaving the United Kingdom's cannabis street market populated by high-potency varieties of cannabis, which may have concerning implications for public health.