A better question may be “What’s on a Cannabis Gummy Bear?” The widespread legalization of cannabis (Cannabis Sativa L.) in the US at the state level has spawned the production of a wide variety of consumer products containing chemical constituents derived from the cannabis plant. These compounds are typically extracted from the plant by various means and formulated into both edible and non-edible products. The main classes of compounds found in consumer products are cannabinoids, terpenes, and terpenoids. Over time, public acceptance has grown for the use of gelatin-based products (i.e., gummies) as oral delivery vehicles for vitamins, supplements, and drugs. Cannabis gummies are no exception. Cannabis gummies are formulated in two basic ways: infused with cannabis extracts during the compounding process or coated with the extracts in a final step after the gummy has formed. Chemical analysis of any finished product requires analytical laboratories to break down the product matrix to release the compounds which may be bound strongly to matrix components within the product. Since gummies are formulated with water, it is common practice to re-dissolve the gummy in an excess of water and then analyze the aqueous solution directly or extract the solution with a suitable organic solvent. The focus of this work was to determine an efficient means of extracting cannabidiol (CBD) in a variety of gummy products followed by analyses using Gas Chromatography - Electron Impact - Mass Spectrometry (GC-EI-MS). Ultimately, we determined that CBD coated gummies could be extracted directly with organic solvents, without the need for initial dissolution in water
