Student Name: Maddara, Benedict L.

Course Code: BSCHE 1-3

Student Number: 2019-01857

Due: September 02, 2019

Source of Journal:

Shah, I. et al.(2019). A review of bioanalytical techniques for evaluation of cannabis

(Marijuana, weed, Hashish) in human hair. BMC Chemistry, 13(1). doi:

10.1186/s13065-019-0627-2

REVIEW OF BIOANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR EVALUATION OF CANNABIS

(MARIJUANA, WEED, HASHISH) IN HUMAN HAIR

ARTICLE SUMMARY

The subject of the article is to review conclusive tests for determining and analyzing

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), which is one of at least 113 cannabinoids identified in

cannabis, to be found on the consumers’ hair. It also elicited the concrete evaluation of

the circumstances where problems arise with the analysis of the THC metabolites.

The traditional analysis has been performed with the use of biological samples involving

saliva, blood and urine. The traditional samples were thoroughly stored to preclude

contamination that which yields erroneous data results. Of all three specimens, none of

which has a long window of detection. This has made the hair analysis more feasible for

it has wider window of detection for THC lasting up to a year. On the other hand, hair
analysis has been mostly used paralleled with the analysis for urine, blood, and saliva;

since, THC takes about 2 weeks to reach the hair shaft (cited in Shah, et. al, 2019).

Hair analysis involves sensitive instrumentation for screening THC with very low

concentration. However, for quantification, LC–MS/MS and GC–MS techniques are used

extensively.

It was observed that there is an increase consumption of THC within the public. Thus,

the systematic analysis of cannabis is imperative to view the current trends in the usage

and to arbitrate whether it is contaminated and correlates to health risks to its users.

ARTICLE CRITIQUE

The journal entitled A review of bioanalytical techniques for evaluation of cannabis

(Marijuana, weed, Hashish) in human hair, is a publication funded by the United Arab

Emirates University which objectively is to provide another method of determining and

analyzing levels of cannabis dependence that could be used as a plausible evidence for

the trial courts.

The sources of information in this article merely constitute web-based. This

encapsulates PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ScienceDirect search engines. All

the information from the research was back-up with other article and supported by in-

text citation and referent list to support the literature review in introduction and research,

itself. The authors also contribute link to other article sources to make the research

more accurate and reliable. The journal was published in year 2019 and available to

read online and download with appropriate credits for the authors.
The parameters considered for review were hair sample collection, decontamination,

extraction, sample screening and confirmation analysis. Although the usages of hair

sample for detection of drug of abuse is beneficial, it gives us a false-positive result

because of environmental spoliation. Secondly, the results on its previous applications

in the Court of Justice must be reviewed for validity; since, this is an unfamiliar

technique as of the moment, the possibilities of yielding inevitable infinitesimal errors

might still occur.

The aforementioned arguments are imperative to escalate the benefit and necessity for

the analysis of THC metabolites in hair as a substantial alternative to the traditional

biological testing specimens including saliva, urine and blood. This allows the research

itself to be an impediment for degrading someone to misconduct the recreational usage

of cannabis (Marijuana, weed, Hashish).