Why You Should Smell Your Weed Before You Buy

Confidence in the olfactory lobes’ ability to identify cannabis – and the quality of – strains is a very important factor before making a purchase.

When it comes to purchasing weed that is tailored to the specific needs of the user, be it for recreational, relaxation, or medicinal purposes, there are a number of things to consider. Buying the right weed is much more than just knowing the name of the strain you are buying and getting it from a trusted retailer.

While these two factors play a huge role when buying weed, there are still a few basic factors that go a long way in helping you get exactly what you expected. One such fundamental factor is the ability to smell your weed before you buy it.

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Terpenes and their meaning in weed

Before we get into why smelling your weed is important, we first need to address a class of phytochemical molecules found in cannabis plants known as terpenes. Terpenes are, simply put, aromatic molecules found in cannabis plants that give different strains of cannabis buds their distinctive scent. Examples of terpenes in cannabis plants are limonene, myrcene, linalool, caryophyllene and terpineol. These are just a few of the many terpenes found in cannabis plants. The concentration of some of these terpenes in cannabis buds helps with both identification and quality assessment.

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Terpenes add more to cannabis buds than just flavor. Medical marijuana is based on the medicinal properties of cannabis, of which terpenes are one of the most important factors. Cannabis contains cannabinoids like THC, CBD, and CBG that have medicinal and relaxing effects.

Terpenes work in synergy with these cannabinoids in what is known as the entourage effect to enhance the various medicinal effects of the cannabinoids. Myrcene has antipsychotic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and sedative properties, while caryophyllene has analgesic, anti-carcinogenic, and antidepressant effects. This provides an understanding that the more terpenes there are, the better the medicinal properties of the weed.

This relationship helps determine the importance of these aromatic compounds in weed quality. Now let’s go back to see how this can help with buying weed.

Benefits of Smelling Your Weed Before Buying it

Now that we’ve looked at what terpenes are and what role they play in the medicinal properties and distinctive scents of different cannabis strains, how does this help when buying weed?

It is common knowledge that there are different cannabis strains, and while many know that it is possible to differentiate between cannabis strains, they still don’t know how to do it. This is where terpenes and smelling cannabis strains come into play before you buy. It is easy to know the name of the strain one is trying to buy, but when you deal with an untrustworthy dealer you will be at a loss if you cannot identify the strain you are trying to buy. This is where smelling your weed comes in.

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Terpenes give cannabis strains a specific smell, and the aroma of a strain can help determine whether or not it is the desired strain. Here it is a good idea to smell your weed before buying it to avoid receiving the wrong weed. Some strains of cannabis, due to similarities in physical appearance, can only be distinguished from others by their taste and smell. This is the main reason some cannabis dispensaries allow buyers to smell reference samples of cannabis in bottles before purchasing. The downside of not smelling and identifying your weed is therapeutic failure for those who use it for medicinal purposes and undesirable effects for those who use it recreationally.

Newbies to cannabis may not know that cannabis comes in different grades of quality when it comes to quality. Cannabis can be divided into three basic spectra, namely low, medium and high quality weed. The quality of the buds largely depends on the producers and how much care and experience the grower puts in to get the end product. Low quality buds are mostly grown by novice or growers who are mostly for profit. They’re usually dry with a tart or bitter taste and tend to have lower levels of THC.

Medium quality buds have better looks and tastes as more is put in by the growers to ensure a good product. Mostly produced by local growers, medium quality buds are very common. Premium quality cannabis is what you know as premium products with high qualities in terms of content and physical properties. It is made by skilled farmers and special breeders.

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These obvious differences in cannabis bud quality can be revealed by simply smelling your weed before buying it. Due to the lack of a high concentration of terpenes, low-quality terpenes usually lack a distinct odor. This lack of smell can also be due to the breakdown of terpenes, which causes such strains to have a harsh taste and less ideal effects.

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Medium quality cannabis strains have pleasant and distinctive scents. Smelling such varieties before buying gives a pleasant feeling and is easily reproducible in different samples of the variety. Good quality buds have a skunky and pungent odor due to a complex network of terpenes.

Bottom line

It is very possible that cannabis plants are mislabeled with the intention of promoting them. Low quality cannabis can be marketed as premium products and in situations like this you may not have any choice but to smell your weed. Trusting in the ability of the olfactory lobes to identify cannabis strains and to recognize the quality of the strains is a very important trait that every cannabis buyer must possess. This is because the cannabis market requires adequate intuition and knowledge in all respects.

With the right knowledge you can get what you hoped for and more, and with the wrong knowledge you could wish you never bought the weed. So before you light the bong or take out the rolling papers, let your nose do the talking.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.