Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference 

October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota

Chemical Analysis of Hemp-Derived Synthetic Cannabinoid “THC-O” Vape Cartridges

Synthetic cannabinoids derived from hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) are often sold in products and advertised as legal alternatives to delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (d9-THC), representing a large and completely unregulated field of consumer goods. Despite containing psychoactive compounds, a lack of federal classification as either a drug or a supplement means that these products are sold without any quality control or chemical testing. Chemical analysis of cannabinoids can be extremely complex owing to the level of isomerism and requires advanced analytical techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Here we demonstrate the chemical analysis of two commercially available “THC-O-acetate” vape cartridges which were purchased over the counter at a local smoke shop. Using HPLC-MS/MS analysis and subsequent data processing in open-source software called mzMine, our results reveal over 23 distinct unknown compounds in the two THC-O-acetate cartridges analyzed, one of which no longer even contained any active pharmaceutical ingredient. MS/MS fragmentation data indicates that these unknown compounds are cannabinoids and strongly suggests their formation is the result of chemical breakdown of original active ingredients. Further research is needed to elucidate the exact chemical identity of the unknown and breakdown products, some of which may potentially be psychoactive. This research will hopefully help create informed regulation to keep consumers safe from the potentially harmful chemicals in these degraded products.