Cannabinoids - “Yeah, yeah, yeah” woohoo! Huh?

-By “Deets” at Project IRIS Consulting
- w/ injections of my Thursday rambling opinions on a range of subjects...hehe ~Rare420



Cannabinoids - “Yeah, yeah, yeah” woohoo!
You know the feeling. Pick any dispensary in the country, walk in and you are assaulted with a gobsmacking assortment of plant material, or so-called “strains”. You know… “Super Bubbleberry Shiskasour Afghani” or “Sour Monkey Butt Diesel OG!”

“Start with the basics” Find your way through a basic process, try a pure Indica, try a Pure Indo-Sativa. Then begin travelling your own road of strain hybrids, you will find “your strain” (and personally, start with heirloom strains, that’s where all the multitude of today’s hybrids originated) in what I can only call the rapidly growing tendency to pick any sounding cool strain name and call whatever you grew...THAT…” ~Rare420

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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???

Well, frankly, nothing.

I’m going to yell now: “STRAIN” NAMES MEAN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.” They are essentially a marketing tool as well as a vehicle by which Bubba who grows schwag in his basement and happened to pop a seed or two gets to “name” something. Strain names *might* give you an idea about the parentage of a particular plant if grown by a reputable breeder, but generally, you have NO IDEA if what you are buying is some accidental hermaphrodite cross, or some unknown male pollen wandered across a flower, or whatever.

“...and if you’re falling for the “Pre-98 Bubba’s” and “Maui Wowies” of your dispensary, next they’ll be selling you “Acapulco Gold”. Or that the genetics are sooo sound...it’s a mix of X+Y+Z (and some secret gov’t secret) and all of em were crossed with OG in a lab, in a mountain, by naked scientists or underground by reptiles...FFS go smoke another bowl, because you can entertain yourself for a lifetime with the marketing that’s being thrown at you...to buy what they want you to.

A good example is “Blue Dream” now I’m not complaining, It’s a good smoke, smells great, looks great, no complaints. Is it a Northern Lights? A White Widow? A Sensi Star? An Original Haze or Skunk? or a pure Afghani, OG, Heirloom quality, no, it isn’t... What really made it hit the market with such support was that it was easy to grow and yielded almost double in weight per 1K watt light in comparison to other strains. SO it was pushed by growers who pushed clubs and dispensaries and so on and so forth, and everybody made more money. At the same time there is an approach to breeding that is producing those ‘heirlooms” of the future’ but you're going to have to weed (no pun intended!) through the thousands of mistakes on dispensary shelves across the country. ~”Rare420”

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Unless you have lab tests that show the geno / chemotypes...you as the consumer have literally no information upon which to choose which “strain” is best to treat whatever condition you are medicating.

So, the question then becomes: How do we as growers & professionals in the business fix this most glaring lack of quality control and standard of care?

Answer: SCIENCE.

Before I delve into the science and what Cannabinoids are / what they do...a small rant: “Professionals / commercial growers in this business need to take a big step back and look at what they are doing before the government does it for them. Remember “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair? Read it. If the industry itself does not create and adopt minimum quality standards and enforce them...it will be done for us by people who know absolutely nothing about it. Mark my words.”

BEYOND THAT, pesticides, mold, poorly grown and processed plant material HURTS PEOPLE. If we are all truly interested in promoting this amazing plant in all its glory to help people overcome dread diseases, we need to rout out the charlatans in the industry that are ruining it for everyone. EDUCATE your customers. LAB TEST YOUR SHIT. Use that data as a marketing tool, not some made up idiotic name that tells you and your patients nothing.

"It’s actually gone from funny to obscene...much like the years where adding the OG to the end of whatever, got you more money for your crop. I’m hybrid OG’d out, except for the true OG strains, Pure “OG” and a some great offshoots, bred by purists, resulting in some phenomenal strains, but crossing OG with anything doesn’t make for good strain breeding methodologies, (but apparently allows you to tag OG to the end of it). Go just buy straight “OG” if you can find it and start your own journey down the identify what “I NEED” road. It’s applying your wine preference determination model to your medical cannabis path” ...what really should matter to you." ~Rare420

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OK. Now back to the science.

The original cannabis plant genetic classification is as follows:

Kingdom Plantae – Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons

Subclass Hamamelididae

Order Urticales

Family Cannabaceae – Hemp family

Genus Cannabis L. – hemp P

Species Cannabis Sativa L. - marijuana

Subspecies Cannabis sativa L. ssp. indica (Lam.) E. Small & Cronquist –
marijuana

Subspecies Cannabis sativa L. ssp. sativa – marijuana

Variety Cannabis sativa L. ssp. sativa var. sativa – marijuana

Variety Cannabis sativa L. ssp. sativa var. spontanea Vavilov – marijuana


Oh, but guess what? This is outdated taxonomy. As if there wasn’t enough confusion already.

Via Mitchell Colbert at theleafonline.com:

“McPartland was the first researcher to look at the genetic markers on the three subspecies of cannabis using the plant’s genome to conclusively identify where it originated. He also proved conclusively that they are all the same species, just different subspecies. As it turns out, C. sativa should have been identified as C. indica, because it originated in India (hence indica). C. indica should have been identified as C. afghanica, because it actually originated in Afghanistan. Finally, it seems that C. ruderalis is actually what people mean when they refer to C. sativa.”

So, now the taxonomy nomenclature looks like this (via John McPartland, the geneticist who discovered the error):


What this taxonomy means to us as growers, breeders and consumers is simply to help us understand that the “strains” that are aggressively marketed are nothing more than a combination of the 3 subspecies of Cannabis Sativa.

So basically, I just told you that everything you know is wrong. Please hold the tomato throwing until the end of this post.

Now you are all thinking “well, what now?” Do we trash everything we think we know?

Of course not. But how do we properly communicate to patients which “strains” (technically varieties) would work best for them?

Answer: Laboratory testing. Knowing the precise cannabinoid profile of every single bud you sell. From that and your patient feedback you can determine which cannabinoid profile is optimum for which ailment. You can still use the “strain” names, but with actual data to back it up, patients can choose according to the chemotype rather than some non-sensical name.

(Guess what, kids...I just gave you some free marketing and community relations advice.)

“Identification by your body, you’d be amazed at just how well the appeal of a strains smell is synching with what your body wants, trying to tell you to try it…”what works for you”. You’ll have to look around A LOT to get beyond some hurdles in places or states where growing Cannabis for MMJ is more about $$$ and their concept of correct curing is to throw it in an oven or dry it as fast as possible, in whatever manner” Then the smell thing approach won’t really work, because “you unfortunately live in a MMJ state (ugh, now me…) where most of the medicine smells like “hay” It’s always the last 5% of the process, the details, that makes for good bud “how to cure it” That’s for another day, but if it smells like hay, say later!” ~Rare420

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Lab testing for cannabinoid profiles is not terribly expensive. It is typically done with a mass spectrometer or via thin film chromatography. These are not complicated tests. Mass spectrometry is, however, the more accurate of the two. Most labs, especially those concerned with pharmaceuticals, plant science or soil & water testing will have a mass spectrometer on site. Even some colleges and universities will own one.

To finish up, I am going to repost a bunch of data gathered by Steep Hill Labs detailing the most common cannabinoids and their mode of action. There are likely many more as yet to be discovered, but these are generally what is tested for.

Via Steep Hill Labs:

9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Formula: C21H30O2
Molecular Mass: 314.2246 g/mol
Boiling Point: 157 °C (315 °F)

9-tetrahydrocannabinol (commonly referred to as “9-THC,” “D9-THC,” “d9-THC” or simply “THC”) is a neutral cannabinoid, well known for being strongly psychoactive. Of all the scientific discoveries that have been made about THC, probably the single most important was how THC enabled scientists to discover the existence of the Endocannabinoid system in vertebrate animals (including humans): a critical part of physiology that, up until then, was unknown. THC has been shown to be effective in the treatment of a variety of ailments and disorders including pain, tumors, nausea and ADHD.

1-Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid (THC-A)
Formula: C22H30O4
Molecular Mass: 358.4733 g/mol
Boiling Point: 105 °C (220 °F)

Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, like other acid cannabinoids, is not psychoactive. THC-A is strongly anti-inflammatory, encourages appetite, is anti-tumor, combats insomnia, and is antispasmodic. THC-A is the most abundant terpenoid (and Cannabinoid) in the vast majority of Cannabis grown in the U.S., reaching levels over 30% of dry weight for flowers from female, unpollinated plants (sensemilla). Many “high THC” strains, when grown and harvested optimally, produce about 15% THC-A by dry weight, though this can vary widely.


Cannabinol (CBN)
Formula: C21H26O2
Molecular Mass: 310.1933 g/mol
Boiling Point: 185 °C (365 °F)

Cannabinol is an oxidation product of THC. It normally forms when THC is exposed to oxygen and heat. A high level of CBN often reflects cannabis that is old or has been exposed to significant heat. CBN is known to be very slightly psychoactive and more strongly sedative than other known Cannabinoids. As such, samples with significant CBN (approaching 1% by weight) can be useful to treat insomnia. CBN is also somewhat effective as an anti-emetic and anticonvulsant.

Cannabigerol (CBG)
Formula: C21H32O2
Molecular Mass: 314.2246 g/mol
Boiling Point: Not Available

Cannabigerol is non psychoactive, and has been shown to stimulate the growth of new brain cells, including in the elderly; it should be noted that genuinely neurogenic compounds are extremely rare. CBG also stimulates bone growth, is antibacterial and anti-tumor, and combats insomnia.


Cannabichromene (CBC)
Formula: C21H30O2
Molecular Mass: 314.2246 g/mol
Boiling Point: 220 °C (428 °F)

Cannabichromene is also non psychoactive, and has been shown to be about ten times more effective than CBD in treating anxiety and stress. It also displays efficiency in treating inflammation, pain relief and is both anti-viral and anti-tumor. CBC has been shown to stimulate the growth of bone tissue.


Cannabidiol (CBD)
Formula: C21H30O2
Molecular Mass: 314.2246 g/mol
Boiling Point: 180 °C (356 °F)

Cannabidiol is “non-psychoactive” (in that it does not produce the euphoria, time dilation, or anxiety normally produced by THC) and has been shown to be extremely valuable in the treatment of seizure disorders such as MS and Epilepsy. Its lack of psychoactivity makes it ideal in treating children, the elderly and patients that prefer to remain clear headed and focused. CBD is often as effective as THC in the management of pain and tumors. CBD also lowers blood sugar, and has been used in the treatment of Diabetes. CBD has a calming effect, and is useful in the treatment of stress related disorders and sleep loss.

Cannabidiolic Acid (CBD-A)
Formula: C22H30O4
Molecular Mass: 358.2144 g/mol
Ideal Decarboxylate Temperature: 120+ °C (248 °F)

Until recently, Cannabidiolic acid was much more commonly found in higher concentrations in Ruderalis than in Cannabis. In the last few years, strains of Cannabis have been hybridized that produce more CBDA than THCA, including “Cannatonic-C6” and “AC/DC.” CBDA has been shown to be both anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor.

Do yourself, your business and your patients a favor. Understand the science of cannabinoids and use it to your advantage. Become an industry leader, not an afterthought.

Cheers!
By “Deets” of Project Iris
w/ additions by ~Rare420

Feel free to ask us anything related to cannabis, big, little, newbie, whatever...We have decades experience across all aspects of the Cannabis vertical from Holland to Norcal, now new horizons as well, over the last twenty years. You may not know who we are, but if you've been buying premium (APEX) product in Cali dispensaries over the last 14 years, you've run into "us".

We're are purists, we're into #pharmagrade APEX level production and product, and yes, we're business weed geeks...

Sources:
https://steephilllab.com/resources/cannabinoid-and-terpenoid-reference-guide/
USDA Plants Database
Indica, Sativa, Ruderalis - Did We Get It All Wrong?
McPartland’s Correct(ed) Vernacular Nomenclature | O'Shaughnessy's