{"id":5070,"date":"2022-03-24T13:07:58","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T13:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMiWWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmN0aW5zaWRlci5jb20vbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlL0Nhbm5hYmlzLXN0cmFpbnMtbGFiZWxzLXNhdGl2YS1pbmRpY2EtMTcwMjMyNzYucGhw0gFVaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY3RpbnNpZGVyLmNvbS9uZXdzL2FtcC9DYW5uYWJpcy1zdHJhaW5zLWxhYmVscy1zYXRpdmEtaW5kaWNhLTE3MDIzMjc2LnBocA"},"modified":"2022-03-24T13:07:58","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T13:07:58","slug":"how-may-certain-cannabis-strains-make-you-feel-its-complicated-ct-insider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=5070","title":{"rendered":"How may certain cannabis strains make you feel? It&#8217;s complicated &#8211; CT Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Editor\u2019s note: <\/strong>This is part two of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/news\/article\/ct-cannabis-legalization-everything-to-know-17025725.php\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">seven-part series<\/a> on what readers should know about adult-use, or recreational, cannabis in Connecticut.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"dropcap\">F<\/span>or part two of this series, we set out to fill in what we (na\u00efvely) thought would be an easy template of a statement: If I\u2019d like to feel <strong>X<\/strong>, I should purchase <strong>Y<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"paywall\">\n<p>Genetically, all cannabis strains consist of two things: Cannabinoids (think THC vs. CBD) and terpenes, both of which contribute to the scent, taste and, in some cases, physiological effects of a strain. The environmental conditions in which a strain was grown also affect those traits.<\/p>\n<p>If cannabis was handled like wine or apples, one could pick up a pinot noir or a Granny Smith and have a pretty good idea of what to expect. But in part because it has been illegal for so long, cannabis is not handled that way at all.<\/p>\n<p>Some key points:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No agency formally tracks parent plants, their offspring or any changes observed throughout reproduction, which means there\u2019s no genetic baseline for any given strain.<\/li>\n<li>Even if a mother plant is cloned rather than grown from seed, differences in growing, harvesting and storage conditions can change its physical traits \u2014 and that\u2019s not tracked, either.<\/li>\n<li>Unlike <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ams.usda.gov\/services\/plant-variety-protection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the USDA\u2019s Plant Variety Protection Office<\/a>, there isn\u2019t a federally-sponsored cannabis registration\/certification system for people who create new strains and want to ensure their genetic identity going forward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <!-- Missed: ad --> <\/p>\n<p>The result?<\/p>\n<p>You can go back to the same store you visited last month, buy a package with the same strain name (e.g., Purple Kush) and get a genetically different product. There\u2019s just no way for suppliers (or growers) to verify what they\u2019re selling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not terrible, awful, the sky is falling,\u201d said Anna Schwabe, a researcher and adjunct faculty member at the University of Northern Colorado. \u201cWith a lot of strains (in our study) \u2026 eight of nine were genetically really similar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But if you happened to get the outlier and you\u2019re trying to find it again, well \u2026 good luck.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s42238-019-0001-1#Sec8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Schwabe\u2019s study was published in the Journal of Cannabis Research in 2019.<\/a> In short, it found that \u201cstrain inconsistency is evident and is not limited to a single source, but rather exists among dispensaries across cities in multiple states.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <!-- Missed: ad --> <\/p>\n<p>It found similar issues with two labels that are popular in cannabis culture: Sativa and indica.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- hearst\/article\/content\/photo.tpl --> <\/p>\n<figure class=\" extendFromGrid fXS fSM fMD fLG fXL\"> <img class=\"landscape\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.hdnux.com\/photos\/72\/66\/50\/15428139\/3\/1200x0.jpg\" alt=\"DENVER, CO - April 25, 2016: Selections of sativa and indica dominant cannabis strains on display at The Colfax Pot Shop, an adult-use marijuana dispensary on Colfax Ave in Denver. (Photo by Vince Chandler \/ The Denver Post)\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\"><\/p>\n<p>DENVER, CO &#8211; April 25, 2016: Selections of sativa and indica dominant cannabis strains on display at The Colfax Pot Shop, an adult-use marijuana dispensary on Colfax Ave in Denver. (Photo by Vince Chandler \/ The Denver Post)<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"credits\">Vince Chandler\/Denver Post via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- e hearst\/article\/content\/photo.tpl --> <\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong>Two popular labels<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p>Products labeled \u201csativa\u201d are supposed to be uplifting and energizing, while those with the moniker \u201cindica\u201d should be relaxing. (\u201cIn da couch\u201d is an easy way to remember the latter.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHybrid\u201d products, unsurprisingly, claim to be a mixture of both.<\/p>\n<p>Like Schwabe, Sean Myles and a team of researchers found that those terms <a data-skim-url=\"https:\/\/go.redirectingat.com\/?id=131678X1615747&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41477-021-01003-y&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ctinsider.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2FCannabis-strains-labels-sativa-indica-17023276.php&amp;xcust=%7B%22roughTime%22%3A1648177076472%2C%22platform%22%3A%22wcm%22%7D\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41477-021-01003-y\">often aren\u2019t great predictors<\/a> of what\u2019s in a package.<\/p>\n<p>Myles is an associate professor on the faculty of agriculture at Dalhousie University in Canada. He and three others from the university analyzed nearly 300 samples provided by Bedrocan International, a pharmaceutical-grade supplier based in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n<p>Remember those terpenes we mentioned above? There are so many of them that the potential genetic makeup of any given strain seems endless.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, when Myles and company looked for overall genetic similarity, \u201csativa\u201d and \u201cindica\u201d didn\u2019t hold up. Some samples characterized as sativa more closely matched traditional indicas \u2014 and vice versa.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- Missed: ad --> <\/p>\n<p>But when researchers zeroed in on key terpenes, they found more consistency.<\/p>\n<p>The terpene myrcene, for example, is known for its earthy aroma and is associated with a sedative effect \u2014 two things people generally expect of an indica.<\/p>\n<p>On <em>average<\/em>, Myles explained, samples labeled as indica had more myrcene, while those labeled as sativa had more bergamotene and farnesene \u2014 both of which have the sweet and herbal characteristics users expect of sativa strains.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, growers may be choosing labels based on terpenes whose aromas overpower those of their counterparts in any given strain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo while things are muddied, and labels may not be reliable and definitive indicators of the chemical content in the package, there is a relationship there,\u201d Myles said.<\/p>\n<p>When I spoke to him via Google Meet, Myles suggested labels might be more useful if they focused on the percentage of THC plus a description of the product.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust like a wine label, you know?\u201d he said. \u201c\u2018Pairs well with cedar plank salmon and has aromas of grapefruit and roses.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>\n<strong>Practical advice<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019ll chat more about dispensary visits in Day 3, but both Myles and Schwabe cautioned against asking budtenders or friends how a strain might make you feel. Even when the genetic composition <em>is<\/em> reliable, strains affect different people differently.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not unlike going to a brewery: The best way to find out what you like is to sample different things, preferably without the person behind the bar tainting your expectations.<\/p>\n<p>Myles said budtenders have a \u201cslightly above random\u201d chance of accurately describing how something might make you feel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe best bet is to sample diversely and consume blind,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the way we do things in science.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pro tip from Schwabe: If you find something you like, go back to the same store and buy more of it ASAP \u2014 it might be different next month.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><strong>More from this series<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Day 1<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/news\/article\/Cannabis-CT-where-can-I-smoke-grow-buy-17023158.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A primer<\/a><br \/><strong>Day 3<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/news\/article\/With-cannabis-dispensaries-coming-to-CT-here-s-17023370.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A trip to the dispensary<\/a><br \/><strong>Day 4<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/news\/article\/Cannabis-CT-police-stops-dui-arrest-record-17023436.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inside the law<\/a><br \/><strong>Day 5<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/news\/article\/Can-employer-test-me-legal-cannabis-Connecticut-17023829.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inside the law, pt. 2<\/a><br \/><strong>Day 6&nbsp;<\/strong>&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/news\/article\/Medical-marijuana-recreational-cannabis-CT-17023882.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Medical marijuana<\/a><br \/><strong>Day 7<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/news\/article\/Growing-cannabis-at-home-A-Connecticut-guide-17023974.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growing at home<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>To read the latest stories about cannabis in Connecticut, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/cannabis\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ctinsider.com\/cannabis<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>To sign up for our newsletters, click&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/link.ctinsider.com\/join\/signup-insider\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><em>An important note: We aren&#8217;t lawyers and what\u2019s written above and elsewhere in this series isn&#8217;t legal advice \u2014 it\u2019s our best interpretation based on analysis of the lengthy law and conversations with experts.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Recreational cannabis is a new area of law in Connecticut. If you have questions, talk to a lawyer.<\/em><\/p>\n<section id=\"articleBottom\" class=\"article--content-zone bottom\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s note: This is part two of a seven-part series on what readers should know about adult-use, or recreational, cannabis in Connecticut. For part two of this series, we set out to fill in what we (na\u00efvely) thought would be an easy template of a statement: If I\u2019d like to feel X, I should purchase Y. Genetically, all cannabis strains consist of two things: Cannabinoids (think THC vs. CBD) and terpenes, both of which contribute to the scent, taste and, in some cases, physiological effects of a strain. The environmental conditions in which a strain was grown also affect those&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connecticut-cbd-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5070\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}