Pine rosin identified as a toxic cannabis extract adulterant - PubMed (original) (raw)

Pine rosin identified as a toxic cannabis extract adulterant

Jiries Meehan-Atrash et al. Forensic Sci Int. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Pine rosin (colophony) has been identified as a potentially new adulterant in cannabis oil. Its inhalation toxicity poses a significant health concern to users. For example, pine rosin fumes are released during soldering, and have been cited as a causative agent of occupational asthma. Symptoms also include desquamation of bronchial epithelium, which has also been observed in e-cigarette or vaping product used-associated lung injury (EVALI) patients. The sample analyzed herein was acquired from a cannabis industry source, also contains medium chain triglycerides and oleamide, the latter of which is a hypnotic that is commonly found in the synthetic marijuana product Spice, or K2. A combination of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and high pressure liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESIMS) was used to unambiguously identify major pine rosin ingredients such as abietic and other resin acids. Comparison to commercial samples of pure pine rosin confirmed the assignment.

Keywords: Adulterant; BHO; Cannabis extract; Cutting agent; EVALI; Marijuana; Pine rosin; Rosin.

Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Figures

Figure 1:

Cannabis extract thickener provided in a glass syringe.

Figure 2:

Overlaid 1H NMR spectra of CEA (top, maroon) and commercially-available gum rosin (bottom, green) from Sigma Aldrich (CAS no. 8050-09-7).

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