Joint or Cookies? DrugWipe detects any type of cannabis consumption

The use or legalisation of cannabis is a hot topic in many countries, Canada and the UK being two current examples. In the United States, 8 states already passed laws to legalise cannabis. But one thing is indisputable: THC, the psychoactive agent in hashish and marijuana, impairs a person‘s ability to safely operate a vehicle or machinery.

How is cannabis consumed?

Hashish or marijuana are typically smoked either pure or mixed with tobacco. Smoking transports the THC first to the lungs and then to the brain. This happens in a matter of minutes, i.e. the effect is instantaneous. In addition to smoking, hashish can be ingested in the form of cookies. What should you know about „space cakes“?

THC‘s pathway through the body

First, THC is absorbed by the stomach and intestine before it is converted to 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC) in the liver. Its psychoactive effect is four to five times higher than that of THC. However, the intoxicating effect of eating hashish comes only after a significant delay. The feeling of euphoria is less pronounced compared to smoking because the 11-hydroxy-THC must first make its way from the liver to the brain. On the other hand, the effect of eating lasts longer. The problem: The time-delayed euphoria when eating space cakes tempts the user to eat more cookies because he or she thinks the dose was too low. This often results in overdosing, leading to nausea, circulatory problems, and feelings of anxiety.

That certain high you get from smoking or eating cannabis

Fast detection

Roadside screening done by Spanish police showed that all THC-positive results obtained with DrugWipe 5 S were confirmed as positive through lab analysis. Conversely, all drivers who tested negative for THC with DrugWipe 5 S also had negative lab results, meaning that DrugWipe demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. In addition, DrugWipe 5 S is highly effective: screening takes a mere 5 minutes. Positive results displayed before the end of the test run time can even be readily used as the final result.

Ingredients of the hemp plant

The hemp plant contains more than 80 different cannabinoids. The most notorious one is certainly the psychoactive Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (in short Δ-9-THC or just THC). It is generated by heat development in smoking or baking. In the plant itself, it mainly exists in the form of THC acid which is ineffective in the body.

Another key natural ingredient is cannabidiol (CBD). Unlike THC, CBD has a negligible psychoactive effect and does not fall under the German Narcotics Act. Hemp plants contain different ratios of THC and CBD. Influencing factors include hemp variety, harvest time and exposure to light. CBD has an attenuating and regulating effect on THC. As a result, the ratio of the two substances determines the effect.

In the healing arts, CBD is used because of its anticonvulsive, anti-inflammatory and anxiety-reducing effect. For example, it is one of the ingredients in drugs for multiple sclerosis patients.

Important: DrugWipe does not detect CBD. Therefore, an individual who tested positive and uses the pretext that he or she only ingested a legal CBD product can be easily refuted!