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higher thc = higher potency?

WelderDan

Well-known member
Veteran
Short answer, no.

Longer answer, THC is not the only chemical in herb that alters your brain
 

30years

Active member
it means it has the potential to but not absolutely. high is subjective. cannabinoids, terpenes, flavinoids and situation all work together to give you the feeling you like.
 

SmokeDaima

New member
I've smoked a lot of strains in my time. It seems that good quality buds no matter what thc percentage it has, usually gets me stoned. On the other hand, a strain with high thc will most likely get me stoned as well. I'm thinking there must be some truth is saying high thc content is more potent although some of my favorite strains are low in thc. Maybe I haven't noticed a strain I've smoked with high thc that doesn't get me stoned? Does the frostiness/crystals in a bud mean more thc?
 

headband 707

Plant whisperer
Veteran
Yeah great question here... I don't really either believe the numbers they say or it just doesn't work like that for me personally .. I have had so many different bud with high numbers and that just doesn't seem to matter to me. Strain seems to be the key ..headband 707
 
S

sourpuss

Most weed is not harvested at highest thc levels.

It is the main chem needed but also not the only one that adds to the buzz. Degraded thc adds stoney trance to your buzz and too much will ruin great weed. Might look done but is overdone.

Best thing to do is spot harvest buds throughout flower. Pick the best one as ypu strain pheno specific harvest time. I find it is earlier thrn most think. I love indicas harvested "early".
 

Gert Lush

Active member
Veteran
No, because the THC %age is bullshiit.
Total bullshit, if one is to be precise!

Reason 1:
THC % age means what percentage of the tested gland cannabinoids is THC.
However this doesn't tell you anything, since you do not not what percentage of the plant matter is gland cannabinoids.

In other words a plant that tests at 25% THC, but the gland cannabinoids are 10% of the tested material is 2.5% THC by weight, but the bullshit sellers will never tell you that, of course.

OTOH, a plant that is 16% THC in tested cannabinoid material, but that material is 20% of what the total weight is, will be 3.2% THC by weight, so it will be "stronger", than the supposed 25% alleged heavyweight.

Reason 2:
THC is not the only factor in strength. Terpenes and their combination with the THC seem to play a big role, but this is really not properly understood or researched yet. The childish obsession with THC number doesn't help here, either.

Reason 3: (the clincher)
A publicity seeker (seed bank, seller or whatever) will never, ever take a true average of a strain to be tested (i.e. grow, say, 100 - or even just 20 - plants from a strain and take an equal amount from each, without crooking the selection). No, they will take their bestest clone, which they may have selected from tens, even hundreds of plants, and try to fob this off on you as a "typical" sample. You only have a snowball's chance in hell of finding the same pheno from one whole pack of seeds. Only a fool would believe that every seed in that pack has the same THC %age as advertised.

Until testing is more honest (more unbiased, better explained and preferably handled by an INDEPENDENT tester) then any given THC %ages are a total waste of ink and paper.
 

Rinse

Member
Veteran
Great info in this thread, the idea that marijuana = THC and vice versa is news/politiks speak...No idea of phytocompound synergy, its just a drug!
 

mingmen

Member
No, because the THC %age is bullshiit.
Total bullshit, if one is to be precise!

Reason 1:
THC % age means what percentage of the tested gland cannabinoids is THC.
However this doesn't tell you anything, since you do not not what percentage of the plant matter is gland cannabinoids.

In other words a plant that tests at 25% THC, but the gland cannabinoids are 10% of the tested material is 2.5% THC by weight, but the bullshit sellers will never tell you that, of course.

OTOH, a plant that is 16% THC in tested cannabinoid material, but that material is 20% of what the total weight is, will be 3.2% THC by weight, so it will be "stronger", than the supposed 25% alleged heavyweight.

Reason 2:
THC is not the only factor in strength. Terpenes and their combination with the THC seem to play a big role, but this is really not properly understood or researched yet. The childish obsession with THC number doesn't help here, either.

Reason 3: (the clincher)
A publicity seeker (seed bank, seller or whatever) will never, ever take a true average of a strain to be tested (i.e. grow, say, 100 - or even just 20 - plants from a strain and take an equal amount from each, without crooking the selection). No, they will take their bestest clone, which they may have selected from tens, even hundreds of plants, and try to fob this off on you as a "typical" sample. You only have a snowball's chance in hell of finding the same pheno from one whole pack of seeds. Only a fool would believe that every seed in that pack has the same THC %age as advertised.

Until testing is more honest (more unbiased, better explained and preferably handled by an INDEPENDENT tester) then any given THC %ages are a total waste of ink and paper.

Well not a total waste to me as a consumer. It at least gives a reference point and generally I trust the levels reported for the dispensaries I use.
I don't take them as gospel and I have only had once when I was sure they switched out the strain from the tested one.
I am sure there are plenty of places with untested top-shelf that is prime. But it ends up being a waste of my time and money to not get tested strains
 

mingmen

Member
But I did get some blackberry kush that tested at 19% that did absolutely nothing to my head at all. But density, smell, color, and trichs make me believe that it was a real test.
So many strains and so little time
 

Sam_Skunkman

"RESIN BREEDER"
Moderator
Veteran
gert,
THC % means what % of THC as a % of the dry weight of the sample. You misunderstand analysis.
Tell me how do they determine gland cannabiboids are a % of the tested materials? I have been doing analysis for 25 years and never heard of this.
THC is the most important analytical result.
If you have lots of THC and the right terpenes this will equal higher potency.
If the terpenes are ones that do not contribute to the high or make the kind of potency you do not like at all, then the terpenes are not creating what you want. THC is still important but you need a variety with different terpenes with your THC. It is easy to find varieties that are your idea of potency.
-SamS



No, because the THC %age is bullshiit.
Total bullshit, if one is to be precise!

Reason 1:
THC % age means what percentage of the tested gland cannabinoids is THC.
However this doesn't tell you anything, since you do not not what percentage of the plant matter is gland cannabinoids.

In other words a plant that tests at 25% THC, but the gland cannabinoids are 10% of the tested material is 2.5% THC by weight, but the bullshit sellers will never tell you that, of course.

OTOH, a plant that is 16% THC in tested cannabinoid material, but that material is 20% of what the total weight is, will be 3.2% THC by weight, so it will be "stronger", than the supposed 25% alleged heavyweight.

Reason 2:
THC is not the only factor in strength. Terpenes and their combination with the THC seem to play a big role, but this is really not properly understood or researched yet. The childish obsession with THC number doesn't help here, either.

Reason 3: (the clincher)
A publicity seeker (seed bank, seller or whatever) will never, ever take a true average of a strain to be tested (i.e. grow, say, 100 - or even just 20 - plants from a strain and take an equal amount from each, without crooking the selection). No, they will take their bestest clone, which they may have selected from tens, even hundreds of plants, and try to fob this off on you as a "typical" sample. You only have a snowball's chance in hell of finding the same pheno from one whole pack of seeds. Only a fool would believe that every seed in that pack has the same THC %age as advertised.

Until testing is more honest (more unbiased, better explained and preferably handled by an INDEPENDENT tester) then any given THC %ages are a total waste of ink and paper.
 

G Noam

Member
Some may have personal preferences for a host of reasons, but any serious eval of all reputable sources tends to match up high THC listings with reviews/smoke reports. Satori from Mandala and Y Griega by Medical Seeds, to name just two of the acknowledged high THC Rockers.
 
S

sourpuss

Thc is all dependant 9n your skills. Timing conditions nutes everything must b considered. The breeders r putting great genes out there, most likely a bad crop is the growers fault.
 

mr bub

Member
gert,
THC % means what % of THC as a % of the dry weight of the sample. You misunderstand analysis.
Tell me how do they determine gland cannabiboids are a % of the tested materials? I have been doing analysis for 25 years and never heard of this.
THC is the most important analytical result.
If you have lots of THC and the right terpenes this will equal higher potency.
If the terpenes are ones that do not contribute to the high or make the kind of potency you do not like at all, then the terpenes are not creating what you want. THC is still important but you need a variety with different terpenes with your THC. It is easy to find varieties that are your idea of potency.
-SamS

I have often wondered about this. When an analysis comes back at 18% thc, does this really mean that almost a fifth of the material is thc? or that 18% of the glandular material (resin) is thc?
If it means that 18% of the total material is thc that doesn't leave much for water, cellulose, sugars, and all the other leaf and calyx material. It also means that the thc content of a plant depends on its carefulness of trimming, doh! if more useless leaf is cut away, the higher the thc percentage of the remainder. That way the best % thc would be to do a dry sieve and call it buds.
That really doesn't say too much about potency, a better measure would be thc content of the resin only, and what percent of the bud is resin.

thc and other volatiles have different effects depending on your mood and physical state, but still the higher percentage thc by any measure is better.
 

Rinse

Member
Veteran
Yeah it does give you an idea of potency to a degree, but why is it 10% THC sativa's (sun ripened) can piss over 20%+ Hybrids in both potency and duration of high?
Terpenes and other phytocompounds account for way more than commonly beleived.
 

Kindest

Member
No, because the THC %age is bullshiit.
Total bullshit, if one is to be precise!

Reason 1:
THC % age means what percentage of the tested gland cannabinoids is THC.
However this doesn't tell you anything, since you do not not what percentage of the plant matter is gland cannabinoids.

In other words a plant that tests at 25% THC, but the gland cannabinoids are 10% of the tested material is 2.5% THC by weight, but the bullshit sellers will never tell you that, of course.

OTOH, a plant that is 16% THC in tested cannabinoid material, but that material is 20% of what the total weight is, will be 3.2% THC by weight, so it will be "stronger", than the supposed 25% alleged heavyweight.

Reason 2:
THC is not the only factor in strength. Terpenes and their combination with the THC seem to play a big role, but this is really not properly understood or researched yet. The childish obsession with THC number doesn't help here, either.

Reason 3: (the clincher)
A publicity seeker (seed bank, seller or whatever) will never, ever take a true average of a strain to be tested (i.e. grow, say, 100 - or even just 20 - plants from a strain and take an equal amount from each, without crooking the selection). No, they will take their bestest clone, which they may have selected from tens, even hundreds of plants, and try to fob this off on you as a "typical" sample. You only have a snowball's chance in hell of finding the same pheno from one whole pack of seeds. Only a fool would believe that every seed in that pack has the same THC %age as advertised.

Until testing is more honest (more unbiased, better explained and preferably handled by an INDEPENDENT tester) then any given THC %ages are a total waste of ink and paper.

Very well stated, thanks for the contribution! :)
 

Gert Lush

Active member
Veteran
gert,
THC % means what % of THC as a % of the dry weight of the sample. You misunderstand analysis.
Withe all due respect Sam, I find that VERY hard to buy.
As other people have already pointed out, a dried bud that is 25% THC sounds ridiculous. What percentage, then, is the plant material itself, the stalks (ffs), the cellulose cell walls, the calyces, the non-psychotropic parts of the trichomes, etc, etc?

Tell me how do they determine gland cannabinoids are a % of the tested materials? I have been doing analysis for 25 years and never heard of this.
Well, they'd determine that by testing the glands (trichs). That is the impression I've gathered over the years, although some people state that it is 25% of the general cannabinoids, as appearing in spectral chromatography test, but I'm not sure I believe that either. %age weight of trichomes is the only one that sounds remotely reasonable. Do the people that test your buds really tell you that they are in the vicinity of 20% by weight???? Do you trust them?

Now, I've been asking around about how analysis works for 7 years or so, and I still have not got a fully satisfactory answer. I reject the idea of 25% by total sample weight (for bud, not for hash) as a nonsense. Marketing ploy for the ultra-gullible. Heaven knows there's enough of them among the cannabis community.

Of course, I am still asking - and with an open mind - so I am willing to be proved wrong, but it will take a bit more than "some guy who tests for me said so". Like we said, the integrity of the advertisers does not exactly shine through like a beacon, not on this one! Oh, and while they're at it, it might be nice to know how many different samples they tried befor they found their earth-shattering 25% by weight individual.
 

Gert Lush

Active member
Veteran
When an analysis comes back at 18% thc, does this really mean that almost a fifth of the material is thc? or that 18% of the glandular material (resin) is thc?

If it means that 18% of the total material is thc that doesn't leave much for water, cellulose, sugars, and all the other leaf and calyx material. It also means that the thc content of a plant depends on its carefulness of trimming, doh! if more useless leaf is cut away, the higher the thc percentage of the remainder. That way the best % thc would be to do a dry sieve and call it buds.

Glad someone else noticed... ;)



* As far as the stuff I boldened in the quote goes, YES, by a very large percentage indeed.
 

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