Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40249026›Full record

ArticleJournal of forensic sciences2025

Identification of non-glandular trichome hairs in cannabis using vision-based deep learning methods.

Alon Zvirin, Amitzur Shapira, Emma Attal, Tamar Gozlan, Arthur Soussan, Dafna De La Vega, Yehudit Harush, Ron Kimmel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of forensic sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Alon ZvirinComputer Science Department, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9255-5059
Amitzur ShapiraThe Division of Forensic Sciences, National Police Headquarters, Jerusalem, Israel.
Emma AttalComputer Science Department, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Tamar GozlanComputer Science Department, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Arthur SoussanComputer Science Department, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Dafna De La VegaThe Division of Forensic Sciences, National Police Headquarters, Jerusalem, Israel.
Yehudit HarushThe Division of Forensic Sciences, National Police Headquarters, Jerusalem, Israel.
Ron KimmelComputer Science Department, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The detection of cannabis and cannabis-related products is a critical task for forensic laboratories and law enforcement agencies, given their harmful effects. Forensic laboratories analyze large quantities of plant material annually to identify genuine cannabis and its illicit substitutes. Ensuring accurate identification is essential for supporting judicial proceedings and combating drug-related crimes. The naked eye alone cannot distinguish between genuine cannabis and non-cannabis plant material that has been sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids, especially after distribution into the market. Reliable forensic identification typically requires two colorimetric tests (Duquenois-Levine and Fast Blue BB), as well as a drug laboratory expert test for affirmation or negation of cannabis hair (non-glandular trichomes), making the process time-consuming and resource-intensive. Here, we propose a novel deep learning-based computer vision method for identifying non-glandular trichome hairs in cannabis. A dataset of several thousand annotated microscope images was collected, including genuine cannabis and non-cannabis plant material apparently sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids. Ground-truth labels were established using three forensic tests, two chemical assays, and expert microscopic analysis, ensuring reliable classification. The proposed method demonstrated an accuracy exceeding 97% in distinguishing cannabis from non-cannabis plant material. These results suggest that deep learning can reliably identify non-glandular trichome hairs in cannabis based on microscopic trichome features, potentially reducing reliance on costly and time-consuming expert microscopic analysis. This framework provides forensic departments and law enforcement agencies with an efficient and accurate tool for identifying non-glandular trichome hairs in cannabis, supporting efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking.

Indexed as

CannabisDeep LearningTrichomesCannabinoidsForensic SciencesHumansMicroscopyCannabinoidscannabis detectioncolorimetric chemical testscomputer visioncystolithsdeep learningnon‐glandular trichomessynthetic cannabinoids

Identifiers

PMID40249026
PMCPMC12223337

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.