7 ms·
Why should the US marijuana have a higher THC content than the Mexican one? Can't Mexican plantations grow the stronger type? Or is there a difference in the ag
by Revisor 14y ago
Why should the US marijuana have a higher THC content than the Mexican one? Can't Mexican plantations grow the stronger type? Or is there a difference in the agricultural process that influences the THC content?
I don't understand this part of the article.
- loeg 14y agoMarijuana is sold by weight; this might have something to do with it. Producing high-quality consumable marijuana is a bunch of work. You have to be careful to separate the female plants, prune low THC content leaves and stems from the flowering buds, etc; the cartels don't seem to put this much work into the cannabis they grow. Cartel marijuana often has tons of leaves, stems, and seeds in it. It's earned the name "Mexican ditch weed."
- DanBC 14y agoThe article links to IMCO. IMCO have a PDF. The claim appears to come from that PDF. They are saying that Mexico grows a different strain. I don't know why Mexico couldn't grow different cannabis. (http://imco.org.mx/images/pdf/reporte-tecnico-legalizacion-marihuana.pdf http://imco.org.mx/images/pdf/reporte-tecnico-legalizacion-m...) They're using THC content as a weak metric to compare pricing. They admit the weaknesses of this approach. And "less THC" isn't necessarily a bad thing. People still buy plenty of lager even though vodka and gin have a lot more alcohol.
- eikaterine 14y agoMay have something to do with the climatic requirements of different varieties of the plant, similar to how Gewürztraminer performs best in a cooler climate but Grenache needs a hot one.
- tehayj 14y agoMexican cannabis is grown outdoor without much care, while most commercially grown cannabis is grown in greenhouses or for small growers under artificial light (or even in hydro setups). Most people today do not go to their dealer and ask for the kinds of cannabis they have. They just take whatever is there.
- dasil003 14y agoNot sure why you think most people don't ask their dealer what kinds of cannabis they have, but even if it's just one kind, I assure you they know what kind it is. The difference between Mexican Sativa and home-grown Indica is extremely obvious at a glance and the price differential is 2-5x.
- olalonde 14y agoI would assume that it's very difficult to assess the quality of cannabis which puts sellers of high quality weed in a difficult position. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons
- DavidWoof 14y agoThe cannabis market doesn't match Akerlof's conditions. Due to the high rate of repeat business and relative ease of evaluating quality post-transaction, reputation functions as an effective public quality assurance mechanism. Forced reliance on word-of-mouth advertising is very important as well in avoiding the market for lemons problem, but I don't think Akerlof considered that.
- pithon 14y agoIt's actually very obvious.
- freeclimbfree 14y agoits just like any other product. To make something good takes more time, care, and most of all MONEY. The shit that comes out of Mexico is low THC because it is grown in mass quantities, by people who don't give a shit, for the sole purpose of profit. The bud we smoke (at least around here) is grown by obsessive pot enthusiasts. These guys are no joke. Strains are carefully documented, growing conditions are optimized, and as a result they produce an amazing product. Really, this should be fairly obvious to everyone here. Apply it to software if it makes more sense to you that way.