In recent years, the popularity of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has expanded significantly, attracting both smokers and non-smokers, particularly adolescents and young adults. Although advertised as a healthier alternative to traditional tobacco due to the absence of combustion, ECs still present health concerns related to their e-liquid composition and appeal to non-smokers. With the evolution of ECs, their original intent of delivering nicotine has expanded to include other substances, such as cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid naturally present in Cannabis. Given the regulations surrounding CBD products, this research aimed to develop and validate an analytical method to assess whether the labelling of e-liquids accurately reflects their ingredients and CBD content.
Six identical CBD a-liquids, each advertised as containing 300 mg/10 ml of CBD, were purchased from two online brands in the United Kingdom. These products were initially analysed qualitatively using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify their composition. A validated high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) method was then employed to quantify the CBD content in each e-liquid, allowing the calculation of the percentage difference between the observed and labelled concentrations.
The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of eight non-labelled compounds, with 9-Octadecenamide, Lj8-THC and dronabinol present in all e-liquids. Quantification of CBD indicated further discrepancies, with only two e-liquids falling within the ±10% acceptable variance from the advertised content. Among the remaining four e-liquids, two exhibited overestimated CBD concentrations, while the other two were underestimated. Overall deviations from the labelled content ranged from -17.35% to +14% for measurements at a wavelength of 210nm and from -15.55% to +15.88% at 214 nm.
The observed inconsistencies were suspected to be caused by deceptive marketing, poor quality control, and CBD degradation. However, further research is needed to confirm their impact. In conclusion, this research highlighted the inaccuracies in CBD e-liquid labelling and emphasised the need for revised and enhanced regulations, given the potential health risks to consumers.
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