Brjac 2017 v4 n16

Feature they claim to differ in the macroscopic feature, organoleptic characteristics, develop agronomic methods and taxonomic classifications based on feeling and personal experience during use, and describe compositions and levels of active ingredients. Although this empirical knowledge is being an instrument for the remedies of those who need these medicinal extracts, research and development is fully needed, along with scientific methodology, from the description of the varieties of Cannabis available in the national market, to the standard raw vegetal material.

Cannabis features at least 50 phytocannabinoids and that, in addition to this variety of substances, the effect can be determined by the acidic or neutral form of the same cannabinoids such as THCA which is converted to THC by heating. The preparation technique of the extract (type of solvent extraction and temperature) is decisive in the final concentration of THC and THCA [25] since its concentrations can be modulated by heating. If forensic toxicology gas chromatography is sufficient to analyzing cannabinoid compounds, for medical purposes the decarboxylation of acid forms is a technical limitation easily solved by the use of liquid chromatography.

To monitor Cannabis therapies and to give pharmaceutical support to patients, the Farmacannabis project was created at LATOX-FAR-UFRJ, where Cannabis products are analyzed and the production of homemade extracts is assisted, and medicinal extracts and plants used in its preparation are analyzed to determine the cannabinoids, toxic metal levels and microbiological quality. For structuring the project, many barriers were overcome with the persuasion of professional peers, that with professional ethics and a commitment to public health, agreed that it is necessary to brave prejudices in order to study and evaluate the safety of Cannabis treatments.

Currently, Farmacannabis has ten PhD. Professors from pharmacy, neurosciences, botanic, natural products and juridical areas, several students and technical professionals, partnerships with public institutions like “Instituto de Tecnologia em Fármacos, Farmanguinhos, Fiocruz” (Far-Fiocruz), and “Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em Saúde, Fiocruz” (INCQS-Fiocruz), and partnerships with non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), such as Some researchers of the Farmacannabis project “Associação Brasileira para Cannabis” (ABRACANNABIS) and “Associação de Apoio à Pesquisa e Pacientes de Cannabis Medicinal” (APEPI).

Financial support was obtained by collective funding (crowdfunding) and more than 800 people backed the project, with the collection of about US $ 30,000. Furthermore, Farmacannabis received financial support from the Manserv Company, a resident enterprise from Technological Park in UFRJ, and the technical support of the Brazilian company Nova Analítica. With strategically worked idea, the first laboratory in Brazil that officially analyzes medical Cannabis extracts was structured.

Farmacannabis' preliminary results, obtained by the high-performance liquid chromatographic method development, showed that the commercial imported extracts have high CBD content with a chemical profile very different from homemade and illicit trade products (Tables I and II). In general, the homemade products showed low cannabinoid concentrations and are rich in THC, except for the Harle-Tsu variety with hemp profile introduced between patients by ABRACANNABIS. Hemp varieties are probably rare in Brazil because of the Cannabis cultivations which have been turned over to recreational use, and the agronomic techniques have been employed for the production of varieties rich in THC. The illegal Cannabis samples seized in the United States of America from 1995 to 2014 increased THC content of 5% to 15% on average and the THC/CBD ratio increased from 14 times in 1995 to about 80 times in 2014 [26].

The development of phytocannabinoid medicine in Brazil depends on the studies of available varieties of Cannabis that can become active pharmaceutical ingredients, and in this way, analytical chemistry laboratories and toxicological analyzes need to be prepared for the Cannabis pharmaceutical market that requires technical specificities different from the forensic application.

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