Tea Prepared from Dried Cannabis: What Do We Drink?

Besides many other uses, dried Cannabis may be
used for “tea” preparation. This study focused on a
comprehensive characterization of an aqueous infusion prepared according
to a common practice from three fairly different Cannabis cultivars. The transfer of 42 phytocannabinoids and 12 major bioactive
compounds (flavonoids) into the infusion was investigated using UHPLC-HRMS/MS.
Phytocannabinoid acids were transferred generally in a higher extent
compared to their counterparts; in the case of Δ9-THC, it was only in the range of 0.4–1.9% of content in the Cannabis used. A dramatic increase of phytocannabinoids,
mainly of the neutral species, occurred when cream was added during
steeping, and the transfer of Δ9-THC into “tea”
achieved a range of 53–64%. Under such conditions, drinking
a 250 mL cup of such tea by a 70 kg person might lead to multiple
exceedance of the Acute Reference Dose (ARfD), 1 μg/kg b.w.,
even in the case when using hemp with a Δ9-THC content
below 1% in dry weight for preparation.