Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Tags: Cannabinoids, Hemp-Derived, Adverse Events, Cannabinoid Analysis, Cannabinoid Testing, Cannabis Vapes
Michelle Peace presents, "Why Some People “Green Out”? The Analysis of Unregulated Hemp-derived Cannabis Products" at CannMed 2025.
Bellwether signs of the widespread negative implications of readily available high-concentration or nearly pure cannabinoid products have existed for approximately a decade. The adverse events were not well understood, and thus, not well characterized by medical personnel, creating unamplified public health concerns and a significant knowledge gap. Ramifications of the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act include the over-production of CBD which, subsequently, led to the manufacture of semi-synthetic cannabinoids. These tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) analogs include structural alterations in the position and number of double bonds in the alicyclic ring, acetylation of the hydroxyl on the aromatic ring, and/or changing the number of carbons in the alkyl side chain. They are marketed as “legal” and “hemp-derived” and have largely unknown potency and efficacy. Products oftentimes contain unlabeled and mislabeled compounds. Consequently, consumers experience untoward or unexpected adverse events, which some refer to as “greening out”. Since the unregulated cannabis industry is continuously evolving to produce new semi-synthetic cannabinoids, new methods are needed to analyze cannabis products for quality assurance purposes.
Objective
To develop and validate a method for the separation and quantitation of thirty-two phytocannabinoids and semi-synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette formulations (e-liquids) and edible products, to include commonly available isobaric compounds and acetate esters.
Methods
Products were purchased as part of a surveillance program, submitted from consumers experiencing adverse events, or confiscated in schools across Virginia. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using a Shimadzu LCMS 8050 with a Shim Pack Volex C18 column held at 40ºC and mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid in 17:83 water:methanol was employed. The inter- and intra-precision and bias, carryover, linearity, limit of quantitation (LOQ), post-preparative stability, and dilution integrity were evaluated. A seven-point calibration curve from 2.5 - 250 mg/mL of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Δ8- THC, Δ10-THC, Δ6a,10a-THC, cannabichromene (CBC), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabigerol (CBG), CBD, cannabinol (CBN), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA-A), hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabutol (THCB), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP), Δ8-THCP, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabihexol (THCH), CBD-di-acetate, CBN-acetate, Δ9-THC-acetate, and HHC-acetate with deuterated internal standards of Δ9-THC-d3, CBD-d3, Δ9-THC-acetate-d3, and CBD-di-acetate-d3 was used.
Learning Objectives:
⦾ Able to identify the common alterations to the THC molecule and associated issues of product quality
⦾ Able to share and/or adapt the presented method to improve the analysis of cannabinoid products
⦾ Able to advocate for science-based policy knowing ramifications of unregulated cannabinoids
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Introduction to Forensic Toxicology and Research
1:53 - Unregulated Vapes and Dangerous Adulterants
3:36 - Evolution of Vaping Products and Public Health
5:16 - Transition to Analyzing Cannabis E-liquids
7:20 - The Rise of Synthetic Cannabinoids
10:42 - The Fall of Hemp and the Emergence of Delta 8
12:36 - The Dangers of Unregulated CBD Products
14:23 - Publishing Findings and Public Debate
16:16 - The Unintended Consequences of Media Exposure
18:48 - Real-life Adverse Event Scenarios
21:34 - Pushing Back on the "Hemp-Derived" Misconception
23:58 - The Challenge of Proper Product Analysis
27:18 - Surprising Contaminants in Unregulated Products
30:46 - Criminal Cases and the Impact of THCO
34:35 - Legal and Professional Consequences
40:05 - Q&A
Learn More about CannMed: cannmedevents.com
Sign Up for Our Newsletter: share.hsforms.com/1oi57oJDnRN-Uqqc9YPByRA20xr2
The CannMed 25 Innovation & Investment Summit showcased its first international venue, the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf & Beach Resort in Puerto Rico from June 17 - 20, 2025. Since its inception at Harvard Medical School in 2016, CannMed has earned a reputation as the premier destination for cutting-edge research, emerging technologies, and investment opportunities. CannMed 25 continues this tradition with medicinal plant researchers, clinicians and venture capitalists who view this Summit as the industry’s number one showcase for the latest advances in plant-based science, medicine, cultivation, and safety.
Tags: Cannabinoids, Hemp-Derived, Adverse Events, Cannabinoid Analysis, Cannabinoid Testing, Cannabis Vapes
Michelle Peace presents, "Why Some People “Green Out”? The Analysis of Unregulated Hemp-derived Cannabis Products" at CannMed 2025.
Bellwether signs of the widespread negative implications of readily available high-concentration or nearly pure cannabinoid products have existed for approximately a decade. The adverse events were not well understood, and thus, not well characterized by medical personnel, creating unamplified public health concerns and a significant knowledge gap. Ramifications of the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act include the over-production of CBD which, subsequently, led to the manufacture of semi-synthetic cannabinoids. These tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) analogs include structural alterations in the position and number of double bonds in the alicyclic ring, acetylation of the hydroxyl on the aromatic ring, and/or changing the number of carbons in the alkyl side chain. They are marketed as “legal” and “hemp-derived” and have largely unknown potency and efficacy. Products oftentimes contain unlabeled and mislabeled compounds. Consequently, consumers experience untoward or unexpected adverse events, which some refer to as “greening out”. Since the unregulated cannabis industry is continuously evolving to produce new semi-synthetic cannabinoids, new methods are needed to analyze cannabis products for quality assurance purposes.
Objective
To develop and validate a method for the separation and quantitation of thirty-two phytocannabinoids and semi-synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette formulations (e-liquids) and edible products, to include commonly available isobaric compounds and acetate esters.
Methods
Products were purchased as part of a surveillance program, submitted from consumers experiencing adverse events, or confiscated in schools across Virginia. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using a Shimadzu LCMS 8050 with a Shim Pack Volex C18 column held at 40ºC and mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid in 17:83 water:methanol was employed. The inter- and intra-precision and bias, carryover, linearity, limit of quantitation (LOQ), post-preparative stability, and dilution integrity were evaluated. A seven-point calibration curve from 2.5 - 250 mg/mL of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Δ8- THC, Δ10-THC, Δ6a,10a-THC, cannabichromene (CBC), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabigerol (CBG), CBD, cannabinol (CBN), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA-A), hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabutol (THCB), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP), Δ8-THCP, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabihexol (THCH), CBD-di-acetate, CBN-acetate, Δ9-THC-acetate, and HHC-acetate with deuterated internal standards of Δ9-THC-d3, CBD-d3, Δ9-THC-acetate-d3, and CBD-di-acetate-d3 was used.
Learning Objectives:
⦾ Able to identify the common alterations to the THC molecule and associated issues of product quality
⦾ Able to share and/or adapt the presented method to improve the analysis of cannabinoid products
⦾ Able to advocate for science-based policy knowing ramifications of unregulated cannabinoids
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Introduction to Forensic Toxicology and Research
1:53 - Unregulated Vapes and Dangerous Adulterants
3:36 - Evolution of Vaping Products and Public Health
5:16 - Transition to Analyzing Cannabis E-liquids
7:20 - The Rise of Synthetic Cannabinoids
10:42 - The Fall of Hemp and the Emergence of Delta 8
12:36 - The Dangers of Unregulated CBD Products
14:23 - Publishing Findings and Public Debate
16:16 - The Unintended Consequences of Media Exposure
18:48 - Real-life Adverse Event Scenarios
21:34 - Pushing Back on the "Hemp-Derived" Misconception
23:58 - The Challenge of Proper Product Analysis
27:18 - Surprising Contaminants in Unregulated Products
30:46 - Criminal Cases and the Impact of THCO
34:35 - Legal and Professional Consequences
40:05 - Q&A
Learn More about CannMed: cannmedevents.com
Sign Up for Our Newsletter: share.hsforms.com/1oi57oJDnRN-Uqqc9YPByRA20xr2
The CannMed 25 Innovation & Investment Summit showcased its first international venue, the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf & Beach Resort in Puerto Rico from June 17 - 20, 2025. Since its inception at Harvard Medical School in 2016, CannMed has earned a reputation as the premier destination for cutting-edge research, emerging technologies, and investment opportunities. CannMed 25 continues this tradition with medicinal plant researchers, clinicians and venture capitalists who view this Summit as the industry’s number one showcase for the latest advances in plant-based science, medicine, cultivation, and safety.
