Quantification of (9R)‐ and (9S)‐hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) via GC–MS in serum/plasma samples from drivers suspected of cannabis consumption and immunological detection of HHC and related substances in serum, urine, and saliva

The semisynthetic cannabinoid hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) is currently getting a lot of media attention because the legal status in many countries is not clearly specified. In this study, a GC–MS method for the quantification of Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11‐hydroxy‐Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (11‐OH‐THC), and 11‐nor‐9‐carboxy‐Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC‐COOH) was extended to (9R)‐ and (9S)‐HHC. The applicability was proven by serum/plasma samples from drivers suspected of cannabis consumption. Limit of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) were 0.15 and 0.25 ng/mL, respectively. Within‐run imprecision was