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Recent Advances in Cannabis and Hemp Research—2nd Edition
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Recent Advances in Cannabis and Hemp Research—2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1323

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Arjun H. Banskota

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Halifax, NS, Canada
Interests: natural products chemistry; medicinal chemistry; isolation; structure elucidation; by-product valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of the 1st edition of this Special Issue, which focused on the chemistry and biology of cannabis and hemp, this second edition will continue the exploration of recent advancements in this rapidly evolving field. This edition will further investigate the secondary metabolites of hemp and cannabis, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and phenolics, while also addressing the valorization of by-products generated by the cannabis industry for sustainable applications. Additionally, it will highlight innovative cultivation practices aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability and explore the growing medicinal and therapeutic potential of hemp and cannabis-derived compounds.

Through this second edition, we aim to deepen our understanding of hemp and cannabis’ role in both industry and human health, while emphasizing sustainability and innovation.

Dr. Arjun H. Banskota
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Cannabis sativa
  • hemp
  • cannabinoids
  • terpenes
  • phenolics
  • secondary metabolites
  • by-products
  • biological activity
  • protein
  • polysaccharide

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 3362 KB  
Article
UVA and UVB Photolysis of Natural and Synthetic Cannabinoids Studied by Online Mass Spectrometry
by Ambar S. A. Shaikh, Kelechi O. Uleanya, Kgato P. Selwe and Caroline E. H. Dessent
Molecules 2026, 31(5), 813; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31050813 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 410
Abstract
Cannabinoids are of considerable current interest for use in pharmaceutical and non-medical consumer products. While there have been significant efforts to understand their chemical stability under ambient conditions, only sparse attention has been paid to characterising their photostability. Here, we present UVA (365 [...] Read more.
Cannabinoids are of considerable current interest for use in pharmaceutical and non-medical consumer products. While there have been significant efforts to understand their chemical stability under ambient conditions, only sparse attention has been paid to characterising their photostability. Here, we present UVA (365 nm) and UVB (280 nm) photolysis measurements of eight representative cannabinoids, including natural compounds (THC, CBD, THCA, CBDA), metabolites (THC-COOH, THC-OH), and synthetic analogues (JWH-018, MDMB-FUBINACA). Measurements were performed using a novel online-electrospray mass spectrometry (MS) approach, where online photolysis of cannabinoid solutions was conducted with laser light-emitting diodes. MS detection was used to monitor precursor compound decay and photoproduct formation. Complementary results obtained via UV–Vis spectroscopy of photolysed cannabinoid solutions are also presented. For THC, CBD, THC-COOH, THC-OH, THCA and CBDA, significant photodegradation was observed with 280 nm photolysis, both through the appearance of photoproducts detected by MS and via time-dependent changes in the solution UV–Vis absorption profiles. In contrast, the synthetic cannabinoids (JWH-018 and MDMB-FUBINACA) showed negligible degradation with UVB photolysis, consistent with their relatively low absorbance propensity through the mid-UV region. No significant photodegradation was observed for UVA (365 nm) photolysis of any of the cannabinoids. The results presented here constitute the first directly comparable set of photolysis measurements for key phytocannabinoids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Cannabis and Hemp Research—2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 2580 KB  
Article
Hydrodistillation-Based Essential Oil Extraction and Soda Pulping of Spent Hemp Biomass for Sustainable Fiber Production
by Munmun Basak, Stephen C. Agwuncha, Sharmita Bera, Margaret Bloomquist, Jeanine Davis, Lucian Lucia and Lokendra Pal
Molecules 2026, 31(3), 500; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31030500 - 31 Jan 2026
Viewed by 455
Abstract
Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is increasingly valued not only for its fibers and seeds but also for essential oils derived from floral by-products. This study investigates the extraction of essential oils from three hemp floral varieties, Sour Space Candy, Suver Haze 3N, [...] Read more.
Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is increasingly valued not only for its fibers and seeds but also for essential oils derived from floral by-products. This study investigates the extraction of essential oils from three hemp floral varieties, Sour Space Candy, Suver Haze 3N, and Pinewalker 3N using hydrodistillation, a widely accepted and efficient method for isolating volatile compounds. The chemical composition and quantification of key volatiles, including α-pinene, β-myrcene, α-humulene, and α-terpineol, were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). In addition to oil extraction, the residual spent biomass was repurposed into pulp fibers using the soda pulping process. Fiber properties such as freeness, viscosity, kappa number, and fiber length were evaluated for papermaking applications. The essential oil yield ranged from 1.24% to 1.86% (w/w), and the spent fiber yield ranged from 37.07% to 55.23%. Handsheets prepared from blends of spent fibers and hemp hurd fibers exhibited tensile indices ranging from 21.87 to 34.98 N·m/g. This dual-valorization approach enhances the economic and environmental value of hemp cultivation, supports sustainable material development, and contributes to the broader adoption of bio-based alternatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Cannabis and Hemp Research—2nd Edition)
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