Orally administered cannabidiol (CBD) does not produce false-positive tests for THC on the Securetec DrugWipe® 5S or Dräger Drug Test® 5000

Abstract

Many jurisdictions use point-of-collection (POC) oral fluid testing devices to identify driving under the influence of cannabis, indexed by the presence of Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an intoxicating cannabinoid, in oral fluid. While use of the non-intoxicating cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD), is not prohibited among drivers, it is unclear whether these devices can reliably distinguish between CBD and THC, which have similar chemical structures. This study determined whether orally administered CBD produces false-positive tests for THC on standard, POC oral fluid testing devices. In a randomised, double-blind, crossover design, healthy participants (n=17) completed four treatment sessions involving the administration of either placebo, or 15, 300, or 1500mg pure CBD in a high fat dietary supplement. Oral fluid was sampled, and the DrugWipe®-5S (DW-5S; 10ng·mL-1 THC cut-off) and Drug Test® 5000 (DT5000; 10ng·mL-1 THC cut-off) devices administered, at Baseline (pre-treatment) and ~20-, ~145- and ~185-minutes post-treatment. Oral fluid cannabinoid concentrations were measured using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Median (IQR) oral fluid CBD concentrations were highest at ~20-minutes, quantified as 0.4 (6.0), 15.8 (41.6) and 167 (233) ng·mL-1 on the 15, 300 and 1500mg CBD treatments, respectively. THC, cannabinol and cannabigerol were not detected in any samples. 259 DW-5S and 256 DT5000 tests were successfully completed, and no THC-positive tests were observed. Orally administered CBD does not appear to produce false-positive (or true-positive) tests for THC on the DW-5S and DT5000. The likelihood of an individual who is using a CBD (only) oral formulation being falsely accused of DUIC therefore appears low.