Output details

Ammonia release from heated 'street' cannabis leaf and its potential toxic effects on cannabis users

This work was initiated as part of an investigation into the detection of substance abuse. It involved the real time analysis by SIFT-MS of the smoke produced by burning cannabis leaf. The remarkable results obtained indicate that in addition to the psychoactive compounds, high toxic levels of ammonia were present in the smoke. This demonstrated a key aspect of SIFT-MS analyses, which is its special ability to quantify gaseous ammonia in humid air samples that cannot be done so readily using conventional analytical methods. This represents yet another warning of the previously unrecognized serious health risks involved in smoking cannabis.