One of the great charms of weed, if users and growers are to be believed, is that different strains produce different effects. One strain may give you a high while another may heighten alertness. The combinations and intensity of effects are the driving forces behind the research behind strain diversity and cloning technology used in the cannabis industry.
Geneticist Mowgli Holmes opines that a strain’s character depends a lot on the many other cannabinoids that give it a particular fragrance and flavor. These combine to influence the psychoactive effects of THC. This line of thought is a new one and quite radical and suggests that odor-influencing terpenes may also have a role to play in deciding marijuana’s medicinal value.
Holmes believes that with the genetic data in hand and further research, cannabis breeders will actually be able to tweak a plant’s properties to suit an individual’s need – medicinal or recreational. Sounds farfetched? And it may well be if conventional research is a yardstick.
Scientists are skeptical of the purported synergistic effects that weed growers claim as possible. The main reason for this healthy cynicism is the lack of data to back these assertions. Anecdotal evidence does not count for much in the realm of scientific research.
Weed growers, though, are prepared to swear that their assertions are not entirely driven by monetary considerations. They point out to the neurochemical effects of CBD, an important component of medical marijuana. CBD is thought to have a restraining effect on the psychoactive properties of THC.
Also, they point out that synthetically produced THC, available as a prescription medicine under the brand name Marinol, has been unable to take the place of natural THC consumed through weed. The reason, ostensibly, is the presence of other cannabinoids that alter and mitigate the effects of THC. By itself, THC has the potential to do more harm than good.
The jury is still out on the entourage effect of marijuana. More research that conforms to scientific rigor will help separate myth and lore from fact.
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22 Comments
I’m not all for the synthetic creation of THC. I feel like it is just another way for companies to make money off of something that is grown naturally and can help people in its natural form.
Iv’e never thought one type of weed has a different effect than others…so I guess I agree with the scientists here.
There are thousands of people out there smoking weed….they aren’t dying!
Who cares what scientists think?! If you feel like something give you a different high thats you and thats okay
I just want to enjoy my high and not think about the bulshit surrounding it.
Don’t get me wrong it would be cool to know if there is science behind if different strains give you a different feeling and there was proof but do you really think they are going to hold test groups? and with all the different strains do you honestly think you can always get the same strain over and over again?
In isolated areas the same weed can be produced but testing the effects on the brain are going to be so different because everyone feels something different when they are high
There is also the idea that some people feel a certain way based on where and who they are smoking with as well as if they have or have not eaten…there are so many reasons that it is more psychological than anything.
I feel like the testing could be done. I would love to see the outcome and see if all the hype about different strains is real.
Isn’t myth and lore like the same thing?
I don’t care about the science I care about the high
Who the hell would use a synthetic THC?
Does anyone else read this stuff and just think….I wonder what cookie monster is doing right now? No? Only me?
I think that all the time!
All you pot smoking idiots need an education and God!
Oh look a TROLL on a WEED website. Try to be open minded.
I think the science would be so interesting to learn about!
I think we all need a little more happiness in the world and some clown nurses!
I love smoking for all the medical and psychological reasons, I wouldn’t be using synthetic at all. I’ll stick with the real shit thank you.
Personally I feel like there is a real psychological reason behind they way you feel when you smoke weed and they way you react.
I agree, I think it is all psychological rather than a science behind the strains. I mean the more THC or the more CBD is going to really change how high you feel but at the end of the day the rest is psychological.
I want to see more science behind this!