Bridging Disciplines: Applications of Forensic Science and Industrial Hemp

Abstract

Forensic laboratories are required to have analytical tools to confidently differentiate illegal substances such as marijuana from legal products (i.e., industrial hemp). The Achilles heel of industrial hemp is its association with marijuana. Industrial hemp from the Cannabis sativa L. plant is reported to be one of the strongest natural multipurpose fibers on earth. The Cannabis plant is a vigorous annual crop broadly separated into two classes: industrial hemp and marijuana. Up until the eighteenth century, hemp was one of the major fibers in the United States. The decline of its cultivation and applications is largely due to burgeoning manufacture of synthetic fibers. Traditional composite materials such as concrete, fiberglass insulation, and lumber are environmentally unfavorable. Industrial hemp exhibits environmental sustainability, low maintenance, and high local and national economic impacts. The 2018 Farm Bill made way for the legalization of hemp by categorizing it as an ordinary agricultural commodity. Unlike marijuana, hemp contains less than 0.3% of the cannabinoid, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound which gives users psychotropic effects and confers illegality in some locations. On the other hand, industrial hemp contains cannabidiol found in the resinous flower of Cannabis and is purported to have multiple advantageous uses. There is a paucity of investigations of the identity, microbial diversity, and biochemical characterizations of industrial hemp. This review provides background on important topics regarding hemp and the quantification of total tetrahydrocannabinol in hemp products. It will also serve as an overview of emergent microbiological studies regarding hemp inflorescences. Further, we examine challenges in using forensic analytical methodologies tasked to distinguish legal fiber-type material from illegal drug-types.

Forensic seized drug analysis: Current challenges and emerging analytical solutions

“…Now, as an agricultural commodity it can be more broadly cultivated and developed for industrial purposes. Industrial hemp differs from marijuana in that it has less than 0.3% by dry mass of total THC (Δ-9-THC and the decarboxylated tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) and high levels of cannabidiol (Finley et al, 2022). The addition of a quantitative metric for hemp versus marijuana means that laboratories largely accustomed to qualitative analysis must now adopt quantitative or semi-quantitative methods.…”

Influence of Fungicide Application on Rhizosphere Microbiota Structure and Microbial Secreted Enzymes in Diverse Cannabinoid-Rich Hemp Cultivars

“…Changes in enzyme activities can influence nutrient availability to plants, thereby enhancing soil fertility and improving soil ecosystem health [ 19 ]. Despite the recent resurgence in hemp cultivation due to the lifting of bans in many states across the United States [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], there remains a noticeable scarcity of research focusing on the impact of various fungicides on the diversity and abundance of microbiota structure in the hemp rhizosphere and their effects on enzymatic activities [ 24 ]. Furthermore, knowledge gaps persist regarding the status of soil microbiota structure influenced by different hemp plant cultivars and fungicide treatments.…”