Like other pharmaceutical products, medical cannabis is a highly regulated industry.
Cannabinoids – naturally occurring chemical compounds produced by the Cannabis sativa plant – are what give the flowering plant its physiological and psychoactive properties.
Traces of pesticides can also be present in cannabis, with techniques such as HPLC, GC/MS and LC/MS used to detect traces of chemicals used to deter insects such as aphids, corn earworms, hemp russet mites and Eurasian hemp borers.
In the USA the National Conference of State Legislatures outlines the definitions of medical cannabis as determined by different states.