THC % - Let's get things right! Please...

Hi Everybody,

Just have few questions. Seem simple questions but up until now, no one could give a clear sharp answer that makes sense.

Here it goes:

1) What THC % level means? Please let me explain further before you answer:
I will use an example: XYZ strain is published to have 20% THC level. OK. 20% of what???
Let's say the plant's wet weight is 2Kg (just for example)
Let's say the plant's dry(completly) is 1Kg (just for example)

So how much THC is there?
20% of the 2Kg wet plant? (I am sure the answer is NO)
20% of the 1Kg dry plant? (I am almost sure that the answer is still NO)

Let's continue - Let's say out of the 1Kg dry plant you get 100g of THC+CBD+CBN+....etc. (just an example).
Is 20% THC means that you have 20g THC (20% from the 100% active material)?
My guess is that this is the answer. Not sure. Because this is the only way if you get some resin put it through some lab analysis equip. and measure THC level as percentage of the sample you put in the device at first.


Please share your knowledge so we all know the right answer.


2) Another question - we all admire high THC level strains....but...
Our body effected from the THC, CBD, CBN,...... and we think that higher THC level will get us higher...

But is there a difference (because THC is THC is THC....) if I smoke for example:
2g of pure THC+CBD+CBN from one strain that has 10% THC level
or
1g of pure THC+CBD+CBN from one strain that has 20% THC level

You get my point?

In this two cases you will get the same amount of active material into your body....
So the logic is that you will be effected the same (if the proportiens between THC CBD and CBN are the same in both strains...)

So......I really want to understand - why the race for highr THC?
You can get same effect by smoking more of a lower THC level strain....


This is just something I want to open for discussion and see if we can all reach to a scientific proven answer....


Waiting to read your feedback.

Thanks.


BTW - this site and forum are great/ I learned a lot by reading here....

Very interesting mate. I dont know but am watching closely to see the replies. Very good questions.

if i remember correctly, today its total percentage out of All cannabinoids. so 20% out of 100% cannabinoids.

as before it was % out of all plant matter (explaining today´s much higher thc)

bricktop can explain it better.

Hey Guys,

Looking forward to read the experts answers. Please try and answer question 2 as well. According to plain logic somking 1g of 20% strain should be the same as smoking 2g of 10% strain (assuming same mix of THC, CBD, CBN, etc...). Unless I miss something.
But if I not missing anything - than what the hell we race for the higher THC% strains? We can just smoke more of the lower level THC% strains....
Of course it is fun to read and learn and grow new strains with new colors and so on....
But for the end result - the body high and stone will be the same....
Again - maybe I miss something.

Thanks again guys, looking forward to make this thread active so at the end we all be little bit smarter about this issue.....

subbed...would also like to see the answers...

From what I've heard, most companies that post explicit THC(CBN/CBD) levels are full of it, because it takes an expert in a lab to determine this and most don't actually bother with due to the expense. So where do they get their percentages? And how consistent are these across any strain?

Very interesting topic.. I wouldn;t mind reading more about this.

Hey Brick Top,

Thanks for the answer - i was sure this was the answer and I waited to hear it from some expert. It explains the high THC % these days compared to the old times.

Can you please refer to my second question?
I think that smoking (or eating or whatever...) 1g of pure cannabinoids from a 20% strain is the same as 2g from a 10% strain (assuming they have same ration of all the rest - CBD, CBN, etc...)

Would you agree?

Thanks!!

gilgil said:

Hey Brick Top,

Can you please refer to my second question?
I think that smoking (or eating or whatever...) 1g of pure cannabinoids from a 20% strain is the same as 2g from a 10% strain (assuming they have same ration of all the rest - CBD, CBN, etc...)

Would you agree?

Thanks!!

Click to expand...

That is a debate that I have never heard or seen solved. It sounds logical, but I am not sure it works like that. It seems it would be like how smoking one hit of hash makes you higher than one hit of pot because the percentage of mass/hash you smoke is almost all trichomes so it is like taking five or whatever hits of pot. But when it comes to eating or smoking pots of different potency I have read where some people who research that stuff say it does not add up, as in 10% plus 10% does not equate to 20%, it is just more 10%. So I really do not know for sure. I have seen/read it argued both ways. I have seen some claim it adds up in the brain/body and others say nope, the quantity adds up but not the overall level of potency, like taking two one gallon cans of 92 octane gas and pouring them into a 2-gallon gas can. You only end up with 2-gallons of 92 octane, not 184 octane.

But on the subject of hash, THC levels of Hash are rather misrepresented and not figured the same way as THC levels of pot. When it comes to hash it is by volume of matter. If you have a plant that has a THC rating of 20% and you collect the trichomes, make hash, all the trichomes are still only 20% in THC, they do not suddenly become 90% THC or whatever. If you could take two trichomes each with 20% THC and combine them into one single larger trichome you would not have one trichome of 40%, you would just have one larger trichome of 20%. Bunching them all together in hash does not increase the percentage of THC per collected trichome. It only means for every hit you take it is like taking maybe 5 hits of pot of the same potency the hash was made from, or maybe 10 hits or whatever.

OK, so the debate is still on....

To make it more simple let's assume you have two pure honey oil. One was made from a 10% strain and the other from a 20% strain.
Let's assume that the lab test proved they both have same ratio between THC, CBD, CBN and all the rest of the good stuff.....
Let's say the ratio is 10:1:1:.... for both the strains. Just one is two times more potent from the other because one has 10% and the other 20%, so in each given quantity, let's say 1g, the 20% starin oil will have 20% of 1g = 200mg of THC, and 2% of 1g = 20mg of CBD and so on.
The other strain oil, the 10%, will have in 1g just 100mg of THC and 10mg of CBD.

Assuming all that - smoking/eating/ whatever - 1g of the stronger 20% or 2g of the 10% will result inserting your body and brain the exactly same amount of active material.
I will take off from the situation the time taking to take the material...Let's assume that you smoke/eat/whatever you do quickly. Not over long time, so after 1 min for example in both cases you have in your body the same amount of active material.

To my opinion your brain will get the same amount of active material in both cases resulting in the same high/buzz/stone in both cases.

So racing for higher THC strains looks to me a little bit non-relevant. One should look for the strain that fits his taste because they do taste and smell differently...

My point is that if one thinks he will get higher from more potent strain, I just say take double of the less potent strain and it will do the exactly same trick on your brain.

Still, I started this discussion in hope to hear experts opinions. If someone knows the answer for sure, with logical explenation - I would love to hear it.

Thanks again!

gilgil said:

OK, so the debate is still on....

To make it more simple let's assume you have two pure honey oil. One was made from a 10% strain and the other from a 20% strain.
Let's assume that the lab test proved they both have same ratio between THC, CBD, CBN and all the rest of the good stuff.....
Let's say the ratio is 10:1:1:.... for both the strains. Just one is two times more potent from the other because one has 10% and the other 20%, so in each given quantity, let's say 1g, the 20% starin oil will have 20% of 1g = 200mg of THC, and 2% of 1g = 20mg of CBD and so on.
The other strain oil, the 10%, will have in 1g just 100mg of THC and 10mg of CBD.

Assuming all that - smoking/eating/ whatever - 1g of the stronger 20% or 2g of the 10% will result inserting your body and brain the exactly same amount of active material.
I will take off from the situation the time taking to take the material...Let's assume that you smoke/eat/whatever you do quickly. Not over long time, so after 1 min for example in both cases you have in your body the same amount of active material.

To my opinion your brain will get the same amount of active material in both cases resulting in the same high/buzz/stone in both cases.

So racing for higher THC strains looks to me a little bit non-relevant. One should look for the strain that fits his taste because they do taste and smell differently...

My point is that if one thinks he will get higher from more potent strain, I just say take double of the less potent strain and it will do the exactly same trick on your brain.

Still, I started this discussion in hope to hear experts opinions. If someone knows the answer for sure, with logical explenation - I would love to hear it.

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

I know what you mean .. and as I said it sounds logical .. but some of what I have read said if say you smoked twice as much of a lower potency strain you would just have more of the same stuff in your system and it's affects would just last longer because of it. Supposedly the brain receptors won't double their amount of intake/uptake per second or millisecond or whatever just because there is more in your system.

I am not saying that is true, but I have seen it claimed to be the case while others have said like you have. I have never read an actual scientific study about it and only read what people said who claimed to have read studies and their claims have been contradictory.

OK, thanks anyway for your inputs.

I hope this thread will stay alive until someone can come here with some backed up answers so I can rest knowing if I am right or wrong....

Cheers...

gilgil said:

OK, thanks anyway for your inputs.

I hope this thread will stay alive until someone can come here with some backed up answers so I can rest knowing if I am right or wrong....

Cheers...

Click to expand...

I wish I could tell you for sure but it is something I have never read a definitive unquestionable study on and only read what people said who claimed to have read facts.

As far as i have understood it, the reason X amount more of weed of X amount of potency doesn't get you higher, has something to do with the receptors in your brain and how much they can handle at once etc.... an analogy i once heard was this: Each receptor being like a lock, and each thc/cbd/cbn etc molecule like a key to that lock, each plants 'keys' are different, and each 'lock' in your brain CAN be different, albeit in both cases obviously only slightly. pumping more of the same 'key' into the same 'locks' wont activate any extra neural pathways or anything.

Im gunna start digging around on it, because im not positive and i dont want to spout any nonsense, and what ive already said may (dare i say probably) be nonsense so dont quote me! ;D

KlosetKing said:

As far as i have understood it, the reason X amount more of weed of X amount of potency doesn't get you higher, has something to do with the receptors in your brain and how much they can handle at once etc.... an analogy i once heard was this: Each receptor being like a lock, and each thc/cbd/cbn etc molecule like a key to that lock, each plants 'keys' are different, and each 'lock' in your brain CAN be different, albeit in both cases obviously only slightly. pumping more of the same 'key' into the same 'locks' wont activate any extra neural pathways or anything.

Click to expand...

Sort of like when I said; "Supposedly the brain receptors won't double their amount of intake/uptake per second or millisecond or whatever just because there is more in your system."

Each 'bit' taken in has to have a certain potency level all on it's own for more of a high rather than a larger amount of different or less potent herb being in your system at one time and supposedly the two different potency's do not add up or blend and average out. Each remains what it is right up until the brain processes it.

At least if the non-scientific claims I have read were accurate.

Hahaha ya exactly, and im still not finding much else. I mean it may have something to do with the 'extra' receptors we have? Right now we only recognize CB1 and CB2, i guess there could be up to 3 or 4 more, one being in the hippocampus (this can be found on wiki and other articles).

Again tho, applying that to this is anecdotal and i sure as hell cant find an actual posted study anywhere, but ill keep diggin'.

If I am understanding correctly these test don't really help us much on picking the best strains. Since it doesn't tell us thc% of the entire bud.

Please let me know if I have this right. A lower thc strain that is coated with trichomes could produce more thc per weight than a high thc strain that doesn't?

Hi,

Well, I did some more research...
A THC molecule is a THC molecule....It doesn't matter if its origion was in a high potency strain or a low potency strain, it is the same one.
In the higher potency strain you will have more of these molecules per a given active material compared to the lower potency strain....but it is not any different - it is the same. It is not a "super" or "better" "key", it is the same.

So if you get one hit of a high potency stuff - wou will have in your system X amount of "keys". If you take one hit from the other stuff you will have in your system Y amount of "keys". Probably X > Y in numbers, but these are the same molecules. So it easy to make the amount the same - just take another hit and by now X=Y....
This is just an example - but you get my point.

I think the initial rush of a high potentcy pot is what makes it more desireable than taking the time to smoke its equivilent of lower grade.

another series of important things to bring up is:

why buy a fast car when you can buy a slow on and just drive twice as long?

why buy a t-bone when you can get 2x as much hamburger for the same price?

ppl always want to do bigger better faster stronger ect, its just how we are...

Secondly -

ppl buy weed by weight, meaning if i have to buy 2x as much of type 2 as i do of type one well that means i can sell type one for 2x as much as type 2. see what im saying...... lets say you pay 120 an oz for junk weed like ppl do here but with top shelf you can get 300-350. is it 3 times as strong? idk but lets say (hypothetically) its 4x as strong as the seeded mexican swag ppl peddle here, in that case you actually save $ buy buying the 350/oz stuff over the 120/oz stuff since it only takes 1/4 the amount to get your fix.

And thats if we assume that increased potency does not have added benefits as outline by bricktop earlier.