Archaeologists excavating in a 17th-century hospital crypt in Milan, Italy, recovered the skeletons of nine people. Using tools of toxicology, they have now identified “the first archaeological evidence” of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, in human bones from the Modern Age.
The cannabinoids from cannabis, such as tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], one of the psychoactive properties associated with the plant, are stored in various tissues in the body, including hair and bones. A 2013 a study published in the journal “Drug and Alcohol Dependence,” found that THC can be detected in human bones “several weeks” after the last cannabis use. However, the associated detection technologies have changed – a lot – over the last decade.
The exact mechanisms of how cannabinoids are stored in bones, and how long they remain detectable, varies from person to person, and greatly depends on frequency of use, dosage, and individual metabolism. Bones, essentially act like a reservoir for cannabinoids, and their detection can be used in forensic and clinical settings to assess past cannabis use. But now, a team of researchers have identified THC in the 17th century bones of people buried under a hospital in Milan, Italy.
A femur, one of the bones that held traces of cannabis (Gaia Giordano, Mirko Mattia, Michele Boracchi, et al. / Science Direct)
When Archaeology Meets Toxicology
In a new study, Dr. Gaia Giordano at the University of Milan said that she her colleagues excavated and tested the skeletons…
