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An In-Depth Study Evaluating the Determination of CBD, Δ9-THC, Δ8-THC, and 25 Additional Cannabinoids in Cannabis Concentrates by Liquid Chromatography with Absorbance Detection

NCJ Number
311054
Journal
Chromatographia Dated: 2025
Date Published
December 2015
Abstract

Cannabis revenue has risen in the United States (US) from $16.5B in 2018 to $45.4B in 2025, which can be attributed to the legalization of hemp in 2018 with the passage of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) and the surge of Cannabis-derived finished products. Hemp was defined as any Cannabis sativa plant having a Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) mass fraction of ≤ 0.3% on a dry weight basis. The legalization of finished products with higher THC levels has continued to increase. As of April 2025, medical marijuana is legal in 41 states, and recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states (and the District of Columbia). After the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, there was a significant increase in hemp grown in the US, resulting in the supply outweighing the user demand. As a result, scientists developed a process for the synthesis of Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC), Δ10-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ10-THC), and other cannabinoids from hemp extracts containing high amounts of cannabidiol (CBD). Δ8-THC and Δ10-THC are popular synthetic cannabinoids in Cannabis-derived finished products because they exhibit similar psychoactive effects to Δ9-THC. However, these synthetic processes usually produce a combination of isomeric cannabinoids. One of the more common forms of these finished products is called Cannabis concentrates, which include but are not limited to oils, vapes, waxes, distillates, and isolates.

(Publisher abstract provided.)

Date Published: December 1, 2015