Evaluation of Breath and Plasma Tetrahydrocannabinol Concentration Trends Postcannabis Exposure in Medical Cannabis Patients

Abstract

The legalization of cannabis in Canada brings novel challenges across various fronts, such as policy development, law enforcement, and public health and safety. It is imperative to improve our understanding of the mechanisms and trends surrounding cannabis use to develop efficacious methods of tackling these challenges.

Materials and Methods: Patients' breath collection was achieved using the ExaBreath device from SensAbues. THC measurements in plasma and breath samples were processed and analyzed using LC-MS/MS.

Discussion: We conducted a pragmatic clinical trial on 23 medical cannabis patients, wherein we collected breath and plasma samples intermittently for 4 hours after cannabis consumption. The research participants consumed between 1 and 2 g of cannabis by either vaping, cannabis cigarette, or concentrated wax (dabs) for 10 min. We used standardized laboratory analytical techniques using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry to analyze both the breath and plasma sample. To analyze the data and find patterns, we developed models using artificial neural network analysis.

Conclusion: Our findings show that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) breath concentrations peaked in 0.5 hours and reached baseline levels after 2 hours in all the patients. We found an inverse correlation between individuals' body mass index and their peak breath concentrations, and an inverse relationship between age and peak breath concentrations. Male participants had higher peak breath and plasma concentrations than female participants. Our research provides new insight into the correlations between breath and plasma THC concentrations in medical cannabis patients.