Study: the degradation of active cannabis ingredients under different storage conditions

A recent study set out to test different cannabis storage conditions to study the degradation process of its active ingredients. The researchers used six different products, in resin or flower form, with different THC contents but all relatively potent. Four samples of each product were taken and placed under different storage conditions for 4 years:

• A: light and ambient temperature (22°C)
• B: darkness and room temperature
• C: darkness and refrigeration (4°C)
• D: darkness and frost (-20°C)

Study results

The concentration of THC, in CBN (CBN is the degradation product of THC) and in CBD was measured approximately every 100 days over the four years. Under conditions A and B, almost 100% of THC was degraded after four years. This degradation occurred exponentially and according to the law of first-order chemical kinetics (monomolecular nucleophilic substitution - i.e. CBN substituting THC). The study does not specify the rate of degradation in conditions C and D, but we deduce that it is much slower, or even insignificant in freezing cases.

Nor does the study specify whether there is a difference between the degradation of active ingredients in the hashish and flowers. On the other hand, it indicates that light influences the rate of degradation and the stoichiometry (quantity of reactants involved in a chemical reaction) of THC/CBN conversion. If degradation is faster, this may be because there are more reagents involved in the chemical conversion, but these parameters may also be independent since temperature only has an effect on degradation speed.

From the data collected, the researchers developed models to calculate the initial THC content from the current THC and CBN content under A storage conditions. This technique loses in accuracy over time with 5-10% margin of error over a long period. It is also possible to predict shelf life from these measurements.

In this way, it is possible to determine the age of cannabis and its initial potency based on its composition and storage conditions. According to the researchers, this may have interesting applications for law enforcement agencies in the analysis and analysis of cannabis. storage of cannabis products.