Exploring the Mysteries of Cannabis through Gas Chromatography

Abstract

In the last decades, cannabinoids, the active constituents of Cannabis sativa L., have been attracting a strong interest, regarding the health effects associated with the use of Cannabis and Cannabis-derived products. The progressive legalization of this species in several countries has prompted an increasing concern about the characterization and quantification of cannabinoids in diverse chemotypes of the plant, as well as the obtained final products. Therewith, Process and Product Quality Assurance (PPQA) becomes a mandatory practise to verify the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Gas chromatography is one of the most used techniques in this sense due to its high attainable resolution. However, sample complexity and the thermal lability of cannabinoids hinder the analysis. In this chapter, a fully description of the recent advances in the Cannabis sativa L. analysis by gas chromatography will be presented, including different approaches that have come up to solve the obstacles encountered.