6 ms·

Popular strains from even 8 years ago like Master Kush are no longer sellable because their max potency is 20-21%. Afghani falls in the same category of 16-20%

Popular strains from even 8 years ago like Master Kush are no longer sellable because their max potency is 20-21%. Afghani falls in the same category of 16-20% THC. Brick weed tests closer to 4-7% THC. Many retailers I sell to won’t accept any indoor under 20% and the flower testing >26% sells out fast. We are currently working to retire any sub-25% strain because today’s consumer buys on potency. Most recently I sold out of a 31% THC potency GG4. Phinest Cannabis is releasing a strain called ‘Fatso’ that they’ve had test at 39% total THC. I don’t think we’re at the end of the line yet.

roel_v 6y ago
"because today’s consumer buys on potency." Why is that? Is it cheaper? Would you be able to supply less potent product cheaper (maybe shorter growing times or less work or other reason)? I know nothing about this field but I find some of the comments here fascinating.
- qplex 6y ago
  While raw cannabis has some % of THC and CDB (among other compounds) it is the processed stuff like hashish or oils that really hold the crown for potency. This stuff has been around for a long time, much longer than the westernized commercial strains.
- Stratoscope 6y ago
  I like a stronger strain because I can use less of it. My PAX 3 vaporizer has two different covers for the oven, one that works with .15-.2 grams of flower, the other with .3 grams or more. With a more potent product, I can use the first cover and get the same effect with much less vegetable material.
- Talanes 6y ago
  I can only speak to this from the consumer perspective, so I can't actually say why any of these trends are true, but... 1. Any correlation between price and potency is very weak; any price point will have a wide range of potency within it. 2. Products rotate constantly, so consumers are facing a new set of choices with every purchase. 3. Modern packaging removes the tactile element from selecting your flowers. some places still keep sample cups so you can smell the strain, but most people are evaluating based on the information on the label now. If you don't have a deep knowledge of weed strains, the potency is the easiest thing to compare.
  - petre 6y ago
    I don't buy tea based on label, have to at least see its texture and sniff it. The nice thing about tea is that there are classical varieties and blends that one can purchase and they taste more or less the same every time. It would be great if some cannabis businesses would adopt the specialty tea store business model.
    - Talanes 6y ago
      Actually, I think tea is a perfect comparison. How many consumers are actually making educated choices about the specific tea varietal they buy, and how many are just picking "black, green, white, or oolong." Knowing the difference between two weed varieties is more like being able to tell the difference between two Assam's, except you have to evaluate that difference while stoned.
- lame-robot-hoax 6y ago
  Because big number = better. Or at least that’s what those going to dispensaries think. You see a strain with 30% THC and you’re like holy shit, so then the 17% THC strain next to it looks like trash. And people figure it’s more bang for you buck cause you’ll have to use less. Though, from what I’ve seen, this isn’t the way to buy. I think it was judges for the Cannabis Cup or some other major marijuana cup judges that said that pretty much all their favorites are below 20%, one said their favorite of the year was like 15%. This is because the growers and breeders didn’t just focus on pumping out THC, but focused on all aspects of the plant, such as terpenes which help influence the type of high you feel. Their primary suggestion was to let your nose lead you, as the smellier the weed, the more terpenes.
  - MivLives 6y ago
    Some people drink craft ipas, but that's not what sells the most. Someday we'll have the bud light of weed, and we'll have people saying it smokes like shit. Personally I'd rather just use extracts.
    - macawfish 6y ago
      We have it now, just not at most dispensaries. There's tons of well grown low THC hemp flowers out there with all kinds of blends of various different cannabinoids and terpenes. There's a stigma from some people about this stuff being "o'douls weed". But really these are really good strains. People can be fools. That's one of our basic modes of being I guess. These strains don't have the same effects as THC, but they definitely have a variety of interesting, palpable, soothing effects.
- wasdfff 6y ago
  I do this because its cheaper. Taxes are another 30% in CA and being a medical patient is virtually meaningless anymore. I buy on bang for the buck alone.
Stratoscope 6y ago
Indeed, I bought some Amplified Farms Super Sour Diesel at Green Cross SF a couple of months ago; this is a sativa with 39.2% THC. When I checked their website again recently they had the same strain with a bit less potency, but I recall it was still 35-36%. I have bought lower potency flowers when they were on sale at a good price, but I prefer the stronger stuff since I can use that much less of it. BTW, isn't it interesting that we can talk about this in public now? It sure is different from decades in the past where we had to use code words on phone calls. The code word in my circles was "programmer's fuel"!
- andai 6y ago
  My favorite code word is time. "Do you have time?" --"Not now, but I'll have time later."
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- cannaceo 6y ago
  Amplified grows some great flower. Good choice.
egypturnash 6y ago
Man I have a maximum percentage I will buy at because I get fucking paranoid when I get too damn much THC in my system, hopefully this trend will end before it becomes impossible for me to buy weed that I can actually smoke. Not that I’m currently in a legal state anyway but...
- dylan604 6y ago
  Doubtful. As evidence, I present the "how much hops can I cram into my IPA" movement of the craft beer movement.
  - SECProto 6y ago
    Hops are a flavouring ingredient, not a psychoactive ingredient. And despite a decades-long love affair with strong IPAs, most craft beer areas have been big into low alcohol kettle sours, etc for the last 5 years or so. IPAs haven't gone away, just moved to the sidelines
    - waterfowl 6y ago
      Is this true? The "hype" continues to be NE-IPAs - which contain as many hops as anything around, and (admittedly, I know less about this world) big giant BA stouts. Maybe more kettle sours are being brewed, but sold?
      - SECProto 6y ago
        It's very much local market dependent. In my locale, mid-90s to mid-00's was all about getting people to try craft beer with anything they could - a lot of English styles. Then NW IPAs dominated from about 2007 to 2010, then one-hop IPAs were big, then kettle sours (generally dry hopped or fruited) were big for a few years, you are right that NEIPAs and heavily lactose'd milkshake IPAs are now sharing the limelight. But the NWIPAs and kettle sours and BA Stouts (and BA sours and belgian golden strongs and...) are all still there, still selling well.
    - bananaowl 6y ago
codr7 6y ago
I definitely prefer more balanced strains, Chocolope being one of my all time favorites. Too much THC relative to other compounds ruins the experience for me. When I feel the urge to reach that far, I'd rather use LSD or Shrooms.
2bitencryption 6y ago
This makes me wonder -- does the "race to the top" of THC potency actually result in a worse product overall? Think about the "megapixel craze" of the mid-2000's digital camera market. It was clear to any well-informed enthusiast that megapixels are not even in the top 5 most important aspects of a good camera. I had a neighbour who was a pro photographer shooting on an 8-megapixel Nikon professional-grade DSLR--which still had far, far better quality than any consumer-level 20-megapixel shooter. I guess my point is, if the industry is only focused on this one number, perhaps it's ignoring the possibility that a strain with "only" 15% THC, if the chemistry is balanced in a certain way, will ultimately be more effective than some 31% monster-bud?
- cannaceo 6y ago
  The answer is it depends. Everyone tries to push strains as far as they can go meaning pumping as much nutrients and light as possible to get maximum THC. The sad part is a lot of great strains that smoke well get culled. I have a forbidden lemon glue with an amazing terpene profile...but it's low potency so we don't sell it anymore. It's not fair to lay the blame on the potency wars. The flower you smoked in the 00s was selected based on its yield per acre, its strength against the elements, and whether the strain would finish growing before the rain comes. If you want to enjoy the flavor your best bet is using concentrates. Tthe concentrate guys are purely focused on flavor. They cultivate strains specifically for their terpene profile and are focused on maintaining that profile for the consumer.

roel_v 6y ago

"because today’s consumer buys on potency." Why is that? Is it cheaper? Would you be able to supply less potent product cheaper (maybe shorter growing times or less work or other reason)? I know nothing about this field but I find some of the comments here fascinating.

qplex 6y ago
While raw cannabis has some % of THC and CDB (among other compounds) it is the processed stuff like hashish or oils that really hold the crown for potency. This stuff has been around for a long time, much longer than the westernized commercial strains.
Stratoscope 6y ago
I like a stronger strain because I can use less of it. My PAX 3 vaporizer has two different covers for the oven, one that works with .15-.2 grams of flower, the other with .3 grams or more. With a more potent product, I can use the first cover and get the same effect with much less vegetable material.
Talanes 6y ago
I can only speak to this from the consumer perspective, so I can't actually say why any of these trends are true, but... 1. Any correlation between price and potency is very weak; any price point will have a wide range of potency within it. 2. Products rotate constantly, so consumers are facing a new set of choices with every purchase. 3. Modern packaging removes the tactile element from selecting your flowers. some places still keep sample cups so you can smell the strain, but most people are evaluating based on the information on the label now. If you don't have a deep knowledge of weed strains, the potency is the easiest thing to compare.
- petre 6y ago
  I don't buy tea based on label, have to at least see its texture and sniff it. The nice thing about tea is that there are classical varieties and blends that one can purchase and they taste more or less the same every time. It would be great if some cannabis businesses would adopt the specialty tea store business model.
  - Talanes 6y ago
    Actually, I think tea is a perfect comparison. How many consumers are actually making educated choices about the specific tea varietal they buy, and how many are just picking "black, green, white, or oolong." Knowing the difference between two weed varieties is more like being able to tell the difference between two Assam's, except you have to evaluate that difference while stoned.
lame-robot-hoax 6y ago
Because big number = better. Or at least that’s what those going to dispensaries think. You see a strain with 30% THC and you’re like holy shit, so then the 17% THC strain next to it looks like trash. And people figure it’s more bang for you buck cause you’ll have to use less. Though, from what I’ve seen, this isn’t the way to buy. I think it was judges for the Cannabis Cup or some other major marijuana cup judges that said that pretty much all their favorites are below 20%, one said their favorite of the year was like 15%. This is because the growers and breeders didn’t just focus on pumping out THC, but focused on all aspects of the plant, such as terpenes which help influence the type of high you feel. Their primary suggestion was to let your nose lead you, as the smellier the weed, the more terpenes.
- MivLives 6y ago
  Some people drink craft ipas, but that's not what sells the most. Someday we'll have the bud light of weed, and we'll have people saying it smokes like shit. Personally I'd rather just use extracts.
  - macawfish 6y ago
    We have it now, just not at most dispensaries. There's tons of well grown low THC hemp flowers out there with all kinds of blends of various different cannabinoids and terpenes. There's a stigma from some people about this stuff being "o'douls weed". But really these are really good strains. People can be fools. That's one of our basic modes of being I guess. These strains don't have the same effects as THC, but they definitely have a variety of interesting, palpable, soothing effects.
wasdfff 6y ago
I do this because its cheaper. Taxes are another 30% in CA and being a medical patient is virtually meaningless anymore. I buy on bang for the buck alone.

Stratoscope 6y ago

Indeed, I bought some Amplified Farms Super Sour Diesel at Green Cross SF a couple of months ago; this is a sativa with 39.2% THC. When I checked their website again recently they had the same strain with a bit less potency, but I recall it was still 35-36%. I have bought lower potency flowers when they were on sale at a good price, but I prefer the stronger stuff since I can use that much less of it. BTW, isn't it interesting that we can talk about this in public now? It sure is different from decades in the past where we had to use code words on phone calls. The code word in my circles was "programmer's fuel"!

andai 6y ago
My favorite code word is time. "Do you have time?" --"Not now, but I'll have time later."
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
cannaceo 6y ago
Amplified grows some great flower. Good choice.

egypturnash 6y ago

Man I have a maximum percentage I will buy at because I get fucking paranoid when I get too damn much THC in my system, hopefully this trend will end before it becomes impossible for me to buy weed that I can actually smoke. Not that I’m currently in a legal state anyway but...

dylan604 6y ago
Doubtful. As evidence, I present the "how much hops can I cram into my IPA" movement of the craft beer movement.
- SECProto 6y ago
  Hops are a flavouring ingredient, not a psychoactive ingredient. And despite a decades-long love affair with strong IPAs, most craft beer areas have been big into low alcohol kettle sours, etc for the last 5 years or so. IPAs haven't gone away, just moved to the sidelines
  - waterfowl 6y ago
    Is this true? The "hype" continues to be NE-IPAs - which contain as many hops as anything around, and (admittedly, I know less about this world) big giant BA stouts. Maybe more kettle sours are being brewed, but sold?
    - SECProto 6y ago
      It's very much local market dependent. In my locale, mid-90s to mid-00's was all about getting people to try craft beer with anything they could - a lot of English styles. Then NW IPAs dominated from about 2007 to 2010, then one-hop IPAs were big, then kettle sours (generally dry hopped or fruited) were big for a few years, you are right that NEIPAs and heavily lactose'd milkshake IPAs are now sharing the limelight. But the NWIPAs and kettle sours and BA Stouts (and BA sours and belgian golden strongs and...) are all still there, still selling well.
  - bananaowl 6y ago

codr7 6y ago

I definitely prefer more balanced strains, Chocolope being one of my all time favorites. Too much THC relative to other compounds ruins the experience for me. When I feel the urge to reach that far, I'd rather use LSD or Shrooms.

2bitencryption 6y ago

This makes me wonder -- does the "race to the top" of THC potency actually result in a worse product overall? Think about the "megapixel craze" of the mid-2000's digital camera market. It was clear to any well-informed enthusiast that megapixels are not even in the top 5 most important aspects of a good camera. I had a neighbour who was a pro photographer shooting on an 8-megapixel Nikon professional-grade DSLR--which still had far, far better quality than any consumer-level 20-megapixel shooter. I guess my point is, if the industry is only focused on this one number, perhaps it's ignoring the possibility that a strain with "only" 15% THC, if the chemistry is balanced in a certain way, will ultimately be more effective than some 31% monster-bud?

cannaceo 6y ago
The answer is it depends. Everyone tries to push strains as far as they can go meaning pumping as much nutrients and light as possible to get maximum THC. The sad part is a lot of great strains that smoke well get culled. I have a forbidden lemon glue with an amazing terpene profile...but it's low potency so we don't sell it anymore. It's not fair to lay the blame on the potency wars. The flower you smoked in the 00s was selected based on its yield per acre, its strength against the elements, and whether the strain would finish growing before the rain comes. If you want to enjoy the flavor your best bet is using concentrates. Tthe concentrate guys are purely focused on flavor. They cultivate strains specifically for their terpene profile and are focused on maintaining that profile for the consumer.