Phytocannabinoid profile and potency of cannabis resin (hashish) of northwest Himalayas of India

Abstract

Cannabis is one of the most consumed illicit drugs and the potency of cannabis products is of note due to health‐related concerns. Hand‐rubbed hashish is the ancient technique of extracting psychoactive resin from cannabis plants and is practiced in the Indian Himalayas. This study establishes the cannabinoid profile and potency of hand‐rubbed hashish collected from 20 regions of the northwest Himalayas. Fifty‐eight hashish samples were analyzed using a validated high‐performance liquid chromatography‐diode array detection (HPLC‐DAD) method. Ten cannabinoids were quantified including acidic (THCA & CBDA), and neutral compounds (CBDA, THCV, CBD, CBG, CBN, Δ9‐THC, Δ8‐THC, and CBC). The mean concentration (w/w%) of Δ9‐THC is 26%; THCA is 15% and THCTotal is 40% is observed in the studied hashish samples. The majority (70%) of the hashish samples were categorized in chemotype I with the THC:CBD:CBN ratio of 91:3:4, and the remaining 30% were categorized under chemotype II with the ratio of 76:15:8. Diverse qualities of hashish are produced in the studied regions as per the seed, plant selection, and skills of manual rubbing, which results in potency variations. The average difference between the least and highest potent hand‐rubbed hashish of a region is 27 w/w% (THCTotal). The other studied non‐psychoactive cannabinoids have a mean w/w% of <5%, followed by 6% of CBDA. It is concluded that the cultivated and wild cannabis fields in the northwest Himalayas belong to the drug‐type cannabis subspecies. Hand‐rubbed hashish holds traditional significance and impacts the current policies of legislation.