Advanced methods for the simultaneous analysis of cannabinoids, cocaine and opioids

The determination of drugs of abuse (DoA) and their metabolites in biological fluids for monitoring purposes is surely one of the great challenges of the modern analytical science. DoA consumption is on the rise all over the world and new strategies are needed to grant reliable and accurate data while achieving high analysis thropughput. In this study, some original analytical methods are presented, which are currently under development for the simultaneous determination of cannabinoids (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, 11-nor-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid), cocaine and its main metabolite (benzoylecgonine) and opioids (morphine, heroin, 6-MAM, codeine and fentanyl). The analytical methods themselves are based on liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to fluorescence detection (F) or tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The methods have been applied to two classic biological matrices, urine and plasma, using a sample pre-treatment based on either solid phase extraction (SPE) or micro extraction by packed sorbent (MEPS), both of which granted good extraction yields and satisfactory selectivity. The results obtained until now are preliminary, but nonetheless promising and the assays are in progress to carry out method validation and apply the methodology to a large numbers of real samples.