I know, I know, this might be news to you. You may have been buying your weed largely based on those high THC percentages. Well, it’s time to unpack that much-too-common misconception in the cannabis world. You may be able to find some good flower testing at 25%, but there is so much more involved in the potency of your bud.
Avid stoners walk into dispensaries, looking for the highest levels of THC, for a low price. The most potent, flavorful, and heady flower in the shop might not stand a chance against the bud testing at 28%. A lot of people just want to buy weed based on high THC percentage. And a budtender can only explain terpenes and cannabinoids so many times in one transaction.
Some of the most fire, potent weed can test at levels of 10-15% THC. That is where the work of terpenes and the 110+ other cannabinoids come into play. Combining the benefits and the effects of terpenes and flavonoids, CBD, THCA, and so on, provides more noticeable effects on potency levels.
The “Entourage Effect”
Smoking flower or concentrates with high THC percentages will still get you stoned, don’t get me wrong. And it is not to say that some weed with low THC percentages may in fact be low in potency. But, ultimately, studies show the lack of effect that THC levels have on the overall experience. Looking for that harmony of terpenes and cannabinoids like CBD and THCA is where you’re going to find the real fire when buying weed.
The idea that a chorus of terpenes, THC, and CBD is more effective in getting you stoned or helping with pain, can be referred to as the Entourage Effect. With various cannabinoids and specific terps working as a unit, your body and mind will essentially be more altered. A strain with a good terpene profile, the presence of CBD or other cannabinoids, on top of the percentage of THC, is going to be more potent for some users.
Terpenes
A key player in the hunt for cannabis with the highest potency is the presence of terpenes. An organic compound found in plants, including cannabis, of course. Terpenes, or terps, provide aromatic and flavor profiles to plants, and cannabis. Terps are also found to hold specific health benefits, both of the body and the mind.
There are eight notable terpenes generally found in cannabis. Mycerene, for example, creates sedative effects while also holding anti-inflammatory properties. Pinene is known to benefit memory. Studies of linalool prove to help with seizures and anxiety.
Cannabinoids
Image via ADF (Alcohol And Drug Foundation)
If you’re in the cannabis world at all, you probably have some understanding of what a cannabinoid is. If not, cannabinoids are natural chemical compounds that interact with the cannabinoid receptors in the body and mind, within our endocannabinoid system.
There are at least 110 known cannabinoids in cannabis, but this number is increasing as research becomes more common and more complex.
CBD and THC are both cannabinoids reacting with different cannabinoid receptors in the body. CBD connects with our CB2 receptor and is known for its anti-inflammatory, non-psychoactive effects. THC, on the other hand, is more psychoactive, interacting with the CB1 receptor.
While THC is most known for its intoxicating effects, cannabinoids including CBDP, THCP, THCA, or THCV, have their hand in the health benefits of cannabis.
Don’t Forget To Trust Your Budtender
So when you’re looking for those high numbers, I suggest looking beyond the THC percentage. Take a peek into other cannabinoids and the flavor and aromatic profiles of terp-heavy strains. Trust the look, feel, smell, and brand of your flower, rather than THC numbers.
Farms sometimes even charge higher prices for higher THC testing flower, when cannabis potency is much more complex. If the budtender at your local dispensary says the weed testing at 16% is some absolute fire, they’re probably right.
