One of the most common misconceptions about marijuana is that a higher THC content means better quality buds and a stronger high. However, the truth is that the percentage of THC has nothing to do with the quality of the herb and is also a poor indicator of potency. Potency, like most aspects of cannabis, is complex. Consuming flowers with a high THC content will allow you to experience the multitude of brain and physical effects of THC more quickly and intensely.
Most people enjoy THC because it produces stimulating feelings of happiness and euphoria. With flowers that have a high THC content, more THC enters the bloodstream with each inhalation, making these effects appear faster and more intensely. In short, if you like the buzz, flowers with a high THC content will do the job faster and easier. The percentage of THC indicates the potency of cannabis, but not necessarily its effect.
While it may seem logical for a strain with 30% THC to deliver twice as much as a strain with 15%, this is not always the case. This extraction method concentrates the percentage of THC, but usually results in an average of 65-95% of THC. The way in which THC interacts synergistically with other cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids in a phenomenon known as the “entourage effect” may be as important as the THC content of a flower. As consumers have focused on the percentage of THC, specifically on the amount of THC in the flower, the industry has become stuck in a cycle of producing flowers with high THC content since that's what sells.
It's important to remember that the percentage of THC simply means the total amount of THC in a product. The THC content is an important factor in how cannabis can make you feel, but cannabis is much more than just THC. Not only does THC content have nothing to do with how “good” the herb is, recent research conducted by the University of Colorado and published in JAMA Psychiatry found that it is also a poor indicator of potency. If you've tried varieties with a wide range of THC to CBD ratios, you've probably noticed that CBD tends to soften the effects of THC.
Some people prefer to enjoy a flower with a high THC content, which makes them vibrate quickly, while others prefer varieties with a low THC content that allow them to better enjoy everything cannabis has to offer.
