Using wastewater-based analysis to monitor the effects of legalized retail sales on cannabis consumption in Washington State, USA.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

To perform a wastewater-based analysis to explore the impact of newly legalized retail cannabis sales on its use and to determine if this approach could estimate the size of the legal market place, which began 1 August 2014 in the study area.

Design

Laboratory study of raw wastewater samples collected and analyzed over the 3-year period from 2014 to 2016.

Setting and participants

Samples obtained from the two wastewater treatment plants that serviced a municipality of 200 000 people in the state of Washington, USA.

Measurements

Quantitative analysis of 24-hour composite influent samples for the metabolite of the active ingredient in cannabis, 11-nor-9-Carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) were performed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectro

SUBMITTER: Burgard DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6814135 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature