Is all weed basically the same? Here’s what scientists recently found

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

When consumers search for cannabis flowers, there are thousands of strain names to choose from. These strains are said to be unique in their chemical and genetic makeup, with particular levels of terpenes and flavonoids, as well as THC or CBD. That should make things easier, right?

On the other hand, when we shop for marijuana products, we also come across labels such as sativa (stimulating, uplifting), indica (relaxing, calming), or hybrid (a combination of both). It should be easy enough. But the truth is, we can no longer rely on those names.

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Cannabis strains are now irrelevant

In a recent study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers shared the results of the largest recent analysis of the chemical makeup of cannabis products. They analyzed around 90,000 cannabis samples from six states, checking their terpene content, cannabinoid composition and other chemical analyzes from Leafly and other websites. They found that most of the cannabinoids available in recreational cannabis are nothing more than just THC.

The authors stated that the labels “are not consistently consistent with the observed chemical diversity.” In fact, the study’s authors recommend that cannabis products have an appropriate labeling system, just like we have for nutritional labeling on food.

“Our results suggest that the dominant labeling system is not an effective or secure way to provide information about these products,” said Brian Keegan, co-author of the study. “This is a real challenge for an industry trying to professionalize itself,” says the assistant professor of information science at CU Boulder, reports CU Boulder Today.

This is revealing given the myriad names that marijuana breeders and marketers have had to come up with in recent years, especially given the explosion of strains that has taken over the mainstream market. Catchy names are a must: think Maui Wowie, Stinky Pinky, Han Solo Burger, Alaskan Thunder Fuck are just a few of the few famous strain names.

Finally, a strain name that refers to a strain you had a pleasurable experience with during the high will stick. This is what you’ll ask your budtender for next time, and it’s a strain you’ll be telling your friends about. Clever names are memorable and generate more interest.

However, as this and other studies show, a name is pretty much all you get. Cannabis genetics change depending on who breeds it and how, so it can be rare to find 100% of the exact same type of smoking experience, genetics, terpenes, chemical makeup, and other factors when buying your same strain weed elsewhere .

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The study also states that the identification of strains after sativa, indica, and hybrids has nothing to do with the chemical reality of cannabis. However, they said there were three types of terpene combinations that were noticeable in certain strains: cannabis strains high in limonene and caryophyllene, pinene and myrcene, and then those high in myrcene and terpinolene. These have nothing to do with their current classifications, as the researchers said they “do not exactly match the indica, sativa, and hybrid labeling scheme.”

“In other words, a sample labeled indica is likely to have an indistinguishable terpene composition than samples labeled sativa or hybrid,” they say.

Currently, marketers of cannabis products are required to disclose how much THC and CBD is in a product, but there is no regulation that obliges them to disclose what other compounds the plant contains, such as: B. which terpenes or flavonoids are present. In addition, they can name the variety or product whatever they want. “A farmer can’t just pick up an apple and call it Golden Delicious. A beer maker cannot just randomly label their product as Double IPA. There are standards. But that doesn’t apply to the cannabis industry,” said Nick Jikomes, co-author of the study, who is also director of science and innovation at Leafly.

Genetic differences, lab tests more important

There have been other studies sharing the same findings. An older 2015 study, also published in PLoS One, was conducted by researchers at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. They wanted to understand the genetic differences in cannabis, so they analyzed around 14,031 single point factors in the DNA of 81 cannabis samples and 43 hemp samples.

They also looked at the differences between marijuana species and found that there are only “moderate” differences between indica and sativa, but not as significant as we think.

Another 2021 study involved researchers analyzing thousands of marijuana samples representing around 396 strain names in a lab. What was shocking was that these samples represented no more than 3 chemical pot strains, leading scientists to conclude that strain names mean nothing at all. “The very limited variability of the chemical profiles shows that most of these chemovars, although differently named, are almost the same or at least very similar,” they wrote.

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Researchers also discussed the lack of standardization in the cannabis industry, particularly for strain names, adding that these are “poorly defined or not defined at all.” For us consumers, this creates a confused feeling of missing information on packaging, consistency, chemical phenotype, genotype and more.

For these reasons, recreational and medicinal users are better off purchasing cannabis products that come with a Certificate of Analysis (COA). The COA is a document provided by a third-party lab that shows you exactly what’s in your cannabis, and this is the closest thing to a cannabis “nutritional data panel” at the moment. It acts as a form of quality control and depending on the test result or lab, can provide consumers with a range of information including microbiological testing, cannabinoid concentrates, terpene profile, residual solvents, and heavy metals where applicable.

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