INTRODUCTION

　　The expression S compact mass spectrometer (CMS) is a novel high performance, easy-to-use single quadrupole mass spectrometer with enhanced scan speed and the ability for on-line polarity switching and in-source fragmentation. Priced substantially lower than other MS systems and having a small footprint to fit in space restricted laboratories, the CMS brings the analytical benefits of mass spectrometry to more laboratories thanever before.

　　Analysis of the active components of the cannabis sativa plant is required both for law enforcement where these compounds are illegal and also as a tool for product control and optimization in the increasing number of legal markets for cannabis plant products. Whenever simple, unequivocal and legally defensible analysis methods for the detection and quantification of plant metabolites are required, mass spectrometry is the detector of choice.Here, we present two simple workflows for the analysis of cannabinoids such as the naturally occuring cannabinol(CBN), the psychoactive ingredient of cannabis sativa, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the degradation product cannabidiol (CBD). Both TLC/FIA/CMS for qualitative detection of cannabinoids, as well as HPLC/CMS for the quantitative determination of THC demonstrate the added benefit of compact mass spectrometry in the analysis of natural products.