Changes in Cannabis Potency over the Last Two Decades (1995-2014) - Analysis of Current Data in the United States
By M. Elsohly, Zlatko Mehmedic, S. Foster, C. Gon, James C. Church. Biological Psychiatry, 2016
867 citations recorded by the source corpus.
BACKGROUND Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States and all over the world. Reports indicate that the potency of cannabis preparation has been increasing. This report examines the concentration of cannabinoids in illicit cannabis products seized by DEA (drug and enforcement administration) over the last two decades, with particular emphasis on Δ9-THC and cannabidiol (CBD). METHODS Samples in this report are received over time from DEA confiscated materials and processed for analysis using a validated ‘gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector (GC/FID)’ method. RESULTS A total of 38,681samples of cannabis preparations were received and analyzed between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2014. The data showed that, while the number of marijuana samples seized over the last four years has declined, the number of sinsemilla samples has increased. Overall, the potency of illicit cannabis plant material has consistently risen over time since 1995 from approximately 4% in 1995 to approximately 12% in 2014. On the other hand, the CBD content has fallen on average from approximately 0.28% in 2001 to <0.15% in 2014, resulting in a change in the ratio of THC to CBD from 14 times in 1995 to approximately 80 times in 2014. CONCLUSION It is concluded that there is a shift in the production of illicit cannabis plant material from regular marijuana to sinsemilla. This increase in potency poses higher risk of cannabis use, particularly among adolescents.
Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Pharmacology, Toxicology
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4ede339b4471552df22ef81506a06a8595d79c65
How researchers see this paper
The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.
In Clinical Psychology
In Pharmacology
Citations in the corpus
- The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research (2018, background): “-grown cannabis has taken market share from Mexican imports and because cannabis from both sources has grown in potency (ElSohly et al., 2016; Kilmer, 2014).”