Danielle Mackowsky

As a result of the rapid growth of the cannabis industry, many testing laboratories are looking for efficient, reliable, and cost-effective analytical methods to analyze chemical residues, such as pesticides, mycotoxins, solvent residues, terpenes, and heavy metals, as well as cannabinoid concentration in cannabis-infused edibles and beverages. In this article, QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe), a sample preparation technique widely adopted in the food testing industry, is introduced to the discipline of forensic testing as a viable method for the extraction of pesticides and cannabinoids in various complex sample matrices. The claimed amounts of cannabinoids versus the actual amounts are compared, as well as the pesticide residue levels in edible and beverage samples.

Research scientists in the cannabis field are tasked with validating robust methods that can be seamlessly transitioned into production laboratories. Unlike typical disciplines where controls are easily (and legally) obtained through known manufacturers, analytical chemists working for both consumable vendors as well as cannabis laboratories must do their best to develop methods often without such resources at their disposal. As the industry matures and additional regulations are adopted, the evolution of the pesticide testing subsection continues to be vastly different depending on the jurisdiction one does business in. This creates an interesting challenge for commercial scientists tasked with developing methods that will appeal to a majority of their consumers, while also generating unexpected hurdles to said laboratories once the methods are placed into production. Ace Analytical Laboratory, located in Las Vegas, Nevada, has successfully adopted and validated pesticide testing methods for their cannabis laboratories and has gained valuable insight into how to best work with such a difficult matrix. In conjunction with UCT, LLC, an overview of best practices and method development techniques for pesticide testing in cannabis is discussed below and told from a technical perspective.

Opiate abuse is drastically on the rise in the United States. In addition to traditional naturally occurring opiate compounds, forensic toxicologists also need to be able to rapidly identify synthetic opioid-like drugs. A rapid, three-step solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure for the identification and quantification of fentanyl and its major urinary metabolite norfentanyl, in addition to four “designer” compounds, U-47700, W-18, W-15, and furanyl fentanyl, is presented here. As a result of the rapid use and abuse of fentanyl in medical and recreational settings, respectively, it is important to develop a method that can accurately extract this Schedule II drug from any other novel compounds that may be present.

As a result of the rapidly growing cannabis industry, many testing laboratories are looking for efficient, reliable, and cost-effective analytical methods to analyze chemical residues, such as pesticides, mycotoxins, solvent residues, terpenes, and heavy metals, as well as cannabinoid concentration in cannabis-infused edibles and beverages. In this article, QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe), a sample preparation technique widely adopted in the food testing industry, is introduced to the discipline of forensic testing as a viable method for the extraction of pesticides and cannabinoids in various complex sample matrices. Comparison of the claimed amounts of cannabinoids versus the actual amounts as well as the pesticide residue levels in edible and beverage samples is discussed.

UCT’s approach for the analysis of anabolic steroids from serum utilizes a traditional reversed phase interaction, but also features the addition of strong-anion exchange functionality (QAX) within the sorbent. This added functionality aids in the removal of unwanted matrix components commonly found in serum such as amino acids and inorganic ions. To prove the effectiveness of this approach, a comparison study was conducted using UCT’s recommended sorbent for steroid analysis (C8 + QAX) versus a traditional SLE, diatomaceous earth sorbent.