Citation

Hawks RL. Proc. Int. Counc. Alcohol Drugs Traffic Safety Conf. 1981; 1981: 493-505.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, The author(s) and the Council, Publisher International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research investigations attempting to improve our understanding of how marijuana affects mental and physical functions have prompted a demand for qualitative and quantitative assays for identifying and measuring the constituents of marijuana in the human body. There is also a growing need for suitable analytical methods for determining the presence of cannabinoids in drivers suspected of being under the influence of the drug. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has developed many methods which are now routinely employed in drug abuse research. Marijuana's primary active constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (thc) is rapidly distributed and metabolized in the body, making its analysis a major challenge. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods were initially established and became the standard from which other methods were judged. Several immunoassays have now been developed. The emit kit detects the presence of cannabinoid metabolites in urine in a relatively simple, 1-minute assay. Two similar radioimmunoassay (ria) kits have been developed for the quantification of thc in blood. All of these kits are undergoing field trials and may soon be available commercially. Several applications of these assays and a brief summary of the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of the cannabinoids will be presented. (TRRL)