Development of Paper‐Based Microfluidic Devices for the Detection of Cannabis Components

ABSTRACT Cannabinoids found in cannabis plants include substances designated as narcotics as well as those used in health and cosmetic products, creating a strong demand for the development of technologies to easily distinguish and detect them. However, these compounds have similar chemical structures, making it challenging to differentiate them with simple analytical methods. We have developed a paper‐based microfluidic device capable of distinguishing and detecting tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), which are designated as narcotics, as well as cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN), which are used in health and cosmetic products. By reacting each of these cannabinoids with a diazo‐coupling reagent, capturing the resulting colorimetric products with a digital camera, and analyzing the images, this device can successfully distinguish and detect the four cannabinoids.