In Switzerland, only cannabis with a total Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content higher than 1% is controlled by the narcotics legislation. Cannabis products rich in cannabidiol (CBD) and low in THC can be legally sold as tobacco substitutes. In this paper, we address analytical and forensic toxicological issues related to the increasing availability and consumption of these products. Based on the analysis of 531 confiscated cannabis samples, we could establish classification thresholds: plant material with a ratio of total THC/total CBD ≥ 3 is graded as THC-rich/CBD-poor, whereas samples with a ratio ≤ 0.33 are categorized as CBD-rich/ THC-poor cannabis. We also evaluated an on-site test kit as a rapid alternative to the laborious liquid or gas chromatography (LC or GC)-based techniques normally used for the differentiation between THC-and CBD-cannabis. Furthermore, we determined whole blood and urine cannabinoid levels after smoking different doses of legal CBD-cannabis. A male volunteer smoked one cigarette within 15 min and four cigarettes within 1 h and within 30 min, respectively. Cigarettes contained on average 42.7 mg CBD and 2.2 mg THC. Blood samples were collected up to 1.1 h and urine samples up to 27.3 h after the beginning of smoking. All urine samples tested negative by three immunochemical assays for detection of cannabis use. This is an important finding for abstinence monitoring. However, we found that the trace amounts of THC present in CBD-cannabis can produce THC blood levels above the Swiss legal limit for driving, and thus render the consumer unable to drive from a legal point of view.

No abstract

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) can act as potential drug delivery vehicle for porphyrin-based photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy (PDT) to enhance their stability and prevent porphyrin self-association. In the present study the interactions of PVP (MW 10 kDa) were probed with five different derivatives of chlorin e6 (CE6) bearing either one of the amino acids serine, lysine, tyrosine or arginine, or monoamino-hexanoic acid as substituent. All derivatives of CE6 (xCE) formed aggregates of a similar structure in aqueous buffer in the millimolar range. In the presence of PVP monomerization of all xCE aggregates could be proved by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. xCE-PVP complex formation was confirmed by (1)H NMR T2 relaxation and diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY). (1)H(1)H-NOESY data suggested that the xCE uptake into the PVP polymer matrix is governed by hydrophobic interactions. UV-vis absorption and fluorescence emission bands of xCE in the micromolar range revealed characteristic PVP-induced bathochromic shifts. The presented data point out the potential of PVP as carrier system for amphiphilic derivatives of chlorin e6. The capacity of PVP to monomerize xCE aggregates may enhance their efficiency as possible photosensitizers in PDT.

We report initial results from an ion mobility spectrometry (IMS)-based analysis of natural cannabis samples and explore the possibility of using this technique to distinguish medical marijuana from illegal forms of the drug, as defined by Swiss legislation. We analyzed cannabis extracts by electrospray ionization IMS-MS and found that high-resolution drift-tube IMS ( R > 150) can effectively isolate and quantify the controlled substance, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), even in the presence of other noncontrolled cannabinoid isomers including cannabidiol (CBD). We used this information to determine whether the THC content of a given sample surpassed the legal limit, which is 1% by weight in Switzerland. Our IMS-MS methodology produced equivalent quantification results to standard HPLC-based methods and offers the additional advantage of significantly shorter time requirements for the analysis. In addition, IMS-based analysis offers flexibility over HPLC in that it can be performed on portable devices. As such, these findings may have implications for cannabis testing in police laboratories.

The synthetic tryptamine 5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-MiPT) has recently been abused as a hallucinogenic drug in Germany and Switzerland. This study presents a case of 5-MeO-MiPT intoxication and the structural elucidation of metabolites in pooled human liver microsomes (pHLM), blood, and urine. Microsomal incubation experiments were performed using pHLM to detect and identify in vitro metabolites. In August 2016, the police encountered a naked man, agitated and with aggressive behavior on the street. Blood and urine samples were taken at the hospital and his premises was searched. The obtained blood and urine samples were analyzed for in vivo metabolites of 5-MeO-MiPT using LC-high resolution MS/MS (LC-HR-MS/MS). The confiscated pills and powder samples were qualitatively analyzed using FTIR, GC-MS, LC-HR-MS/MS and NMR. 5-MeO-MiPT was identified in two of the seized powder samples. General unknown screening detected cocaine, cocaethylene, methylphenidate, ritalinic acid and 5-MeO-MiPT in urine. Seven different in vitro phase I metabolites of 5-MeO-MiPT were identified. In the forensic case samples, four phase I metabolites could be identified in blood and seven in urine. The five most abundant metabolites were formed by demethylation and hydroxylation of the parent compound. 5-MeO-MiPT concentrations in the blood and urine sample were found to be 160 ng/mL and 3380 ng/mL, respectively. Based on the results of this study we recommend metabolites 5-methoxy-Nisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-NiPT), 5-hydroxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine (5-OH-MiPT), 5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine-N-oxide (5-MeO-MiPT-N-oxide) and hydroxy-5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine (OH-5-MeO-MiPT) as biomarkers for the development of new methods for the detection of 5-MeO-MiPT consumption, as they have been present in both blood and urine samples.