The Volatile Oil Composition of Fresh and Air-Dried Buds of Cannabis sativa

The composition of the steam-distilled volatile oil of fresh and air-dried, indoor-grown marijuana was studied by GC/FID and GC/MS. In all, 68 components were detected of which 57 were fully identified. Drying of the plant material had no effect on the qualitative composition of the oil and did not affect the ability of individuals familiar with marijuana smell to recognize the odor. The chemical composition of the volatile oil of Cannabis sativa L. was the subject of several investigations.l-ll A total of 58 monoterpenes and 38 sesquiterpenes was reported to have been identified from different cannabis preparations in a 1980 review article published by Turner et aZ.12 In a more recent study, Brenneisen and E1Sohly13 reported on the GC/ MS analysis of cannabis extracts and the use of the entire chromatographic characteristics (not just the cannabinoids) for identification of the country of origi