DISCRIMINAÇÃO QUÍMICA DE AMOSTRAS DE CANNABIS SATIVA MEDICINAIS E APREENDIDAS POR FINGERPRINT CROMATOGRÁFICO OBTIDO POR CG-EM E QUIMIOMETRIA

Abstract

Recent regulatory changes in Brazil concerning the cultivation and medicinal use of Cannabis sativa L., driven by its well-documented therapeutic potential, have increased the demand for analytical methods capable of characterizing and differentiating materials originating from legally cultivated plants and samples seized during police operations targeting illicit drug trafficking. In this context, this study evaluated the application of chromatographic fingerprints obtained by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), combined with multivariate statistical analysis, to differentiate Cannabis sativa samples, including medicinally cultivated inflorescences, seized inflorescences, and compressed cannabis samples collected from different border regions and submitted to the Forensic Laboratory Analysis Institute of the Civil Police of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The chemical profiles were characterized by the predominance of cannabinoids, sesquiterpenes, and oxygenated derivatives. Chromatographic data were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis to identify clustering patterns and discriminant variables. Chemometric analyses demonstrated that the observed variability was primarily associated with the balance between cannabinoids and volatile compounds susceptible to degradation, reflecting differences in sample preservation conditions. Sample type was identified as the main discriminating factor, allowing clear differentiation among cultivated inflorescences, seized inflorescences, and compressed cannabis samples, with PCA explaining 71.2% of the total variance. In contrast, geographical origin did not produce consistent clustering among the analyzed samples. The results demonstrate that GC–MS-based chromatographic fingerprints constitute a robust tool for the chemical characterization of C. sativa samples. When combined with chemometric analysis, these fingerprints become an important complementary tool for sample differentiation. However, whenever possible, their interpretation should be integrated with information regarding sample origin, case history, and other available forensic evidence to improve the reliability of the resulting inferences.