Incidence of psychoactive cannabinoids in drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents.
A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay was developed for the psychoactive cannabinoids Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 11-Hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC) using electrochemical detection (ECD). A C8 bonded column was used and the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile, methanol and 0.01 M sulphuric acid at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. The detection limits for both THC and 11-OH-THC were 1.0 ng/mL. Preliminary screening of 193 drivers using an enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT) showed 21 tested positive on either blood, urine or both. Of these subjects 13 were confirmed as positive by the HPLC/ECD method in blood. Blood concentration for THC ranged from 1.4 ng/mL up to 20 ng/mL and for 11-OH-THC 2.5 ng/mL up to 85 ng/mL.
Victorian Institute of Forensic Pathology, Monash University, South Melbourne, Australia.
J
J
Gerostamoulos
O H
OH
Drummer
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002138:Calibration; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology
C001427:11-hydroxy-delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol; D013759:Dronabinol