THCCOOH concentrations in whole blood: are they useful in discriminating occasional from heavy smokers?

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_476BC61913C2
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
THCCOOH concentrations in whole blood: are they useful in discriminating occasional from heavy smokers?
Journal
Drug testing and analysis
Author(s)
Fabritius M., Favrat B., Chtioui H., Battistella G., Annoni J.M., Appenzeller M., Dao K., Fornari E., Lauer E., Mall J.F., Maeder P., Mangin P., Staub C., Giroud C.
ISSN
1942-7611 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1942-7603
Publication state
Published
Issued date
31/10/2013
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
6
Number
1-2
Pages
155-163
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Some forensic and clinical circumstances require knowledge of the frequency of drug use. Care of the patient, administrative, and legal consequences will be different if the subject is a regular or an occasional cannabis smoker. To this end, 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH) has been proposed as a criterion to help to distinguish between these two groups of users. However, to date this indicator has not been adequately assessed under experimental conditions. We carried out a controlled administration study of smoked cannabis with a placebo. Cannabinoid levels were determined in whole blood using tandem mass spectrometry. Significantly high differences in THCCOOH concentrations were found between the two groups when measured during the screening visit, prior to the smoking session, and throughout the day of the experiment. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were determined and two threshold criteria were proposed in order to distinguish between these groups: a free THCCOOH concentration below 3 µg/L suggested an occasional consumption (≤ 1 joint/week) while a concentration higher than 40 µg/L corresponded to a heavy use (≥ 10 joints/month). These thresholds were tested and found to be consistent with previously published experimental data. The decision threshold of 40 µg/L could be a cut-off for possible disqualification for driving while under the influence of cannabis. A further medical assessment and follow-up would be necessary for the reissuing of a driving license once abstinence from cannabis has been demonstrated. A THCCOOH level below 3 µg/L would indicate that no medical assessment is required.
Keywords
Adolescent, Adult, Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists/blood, Dronabinol/analogs & derivatives, Dronabinol/blood, Humans, Marijuana Smoking/blood, Substance Abuse Detection, Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Young Adult, THCCOOH, cannabis, heavy use, occasional use, whole blood
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
24/01/2014 18:45
Last modification date
27/02/2024 8:17
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