Analysis of a commercial marijuana e-cigarette formulation

Abstract

Personal battery-powered vaporizers or electronic cigarettes were developed to deliver a nicotine vapor such that smokers could simulate smoking tobacco without the inherent pathology of inhaled tobacco smoke. With four states within the USA having legalized the cultivation, distribution and recreational use of marijuana and an additional 23 states plus the District of Columbia with laws that legalize marijuana in some form, it was inevitable that suppliers of legal marijuana would develop marijuana products for use in these electronic cigarettes. Presented is the analysis of one such marijuana electronic cigarette formulation sold under the brand name Liberty Reach. The cannabinoid concentrations in Liberty Reach as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrapole mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS) were δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, 42.6% (w/v) and cannabidiol 0.5% (w/v). These concentrations were significantly lower than the labeled 69% δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 1% cannabidiol. Furthermore, 4 cannabinoids, 13 marijuana terpenes, and propylene glycol were identified by a combination of Direct Analysis in Real Time-AccuTOF™ mass spectrometry (DART-MS), HPLC-MS-MS and gas chromatography-MS.