Is it just me or are THC levels going DOWN?!

[CanadianJim]

I think it speaks to how things changed with legalization. Lots of noobs flood the market many wanting the highest THC possible because that google search they did conflated potency with quality. As time passes and they gain experience, they learn that they're different things, and demand shifts to reflect that. Also, some of them may have had somewhat more...intense experience than they were looking for, and are looking for something more moderate.Again, demand shifts, and either supply or advertising shifts to meet it. Wonder what the next buzzword will be, some cannabinoid we haven't heard of yet?

 

[a mongo frog]

I think it speaks to how things changed with legalization.

100 percent for sure. And the no more medical marijuana vending from patients to clubs. 2 years ago if one had extra meds you could go get a lab test (safety and potency test) and donate to the med clubs if one had the goods.

 

[Lucky Luke]

You are giving a bias example, you shouldn't do that. People indoor can ''lovingly'' grow Tomato's. You then focused in on lighting, the one thing I already said we have issues in replicating. I also made no mention of genetics and it's direct impact from lighting. Since you brought it up lighting type and intensity does effect genetic expression, new leaps in evolution doesn't need to factor in to it, at all. Flower them under green cfl, then under hps W for W, tell me theirs no difference.

Crossing high thc plants and giving them a stable environment has no chance of producing a higher thc plant?. This is the same reason people started crossing big bud with everything, to increase yield, and why purple strains are continually crossed with others.

I'm not suggesting company's haven't lied about thc figures, but to suggest that growers on average can not grow indoor with higher thc values more consistently is foolish. Geographically you'd have to live in the right place where out door beats indoor, for a damn lot of people that isn't possible. Having good sun isn't all you need.

Genetic expression? Of cause it does. Agreed. Wont change the genetics though will it?

I never said that people do not cross plants for higher THC. I even mentioned Neville twice, who did just this.

I don't think I suggested that at all. Agreed.

 

[ganga gurl420]

TRUE Maui Wowie.

Oh wow! Yeah I remember that shit! It was AMAZING!

 

[ganga gurl420]

Does a Tomato taste better grown lovingly in someone's garden or in someone's indoor setup?
Modern growing under lights is more efficient than it used to be but I don't think that's going to effect the genetics of the plant.

I will take a sun ripened tomato any day!

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

I thought I better take a pic before I blew through it all lol...maybe some have access to, or can make it themselves, but I never had tried it, so I picked up a whopping 0.5g for $70 I've been dunking my cold dabs in it before ripping...



And then also I picked up a bit of the herb...


I don't think the stuff I got would actually test 30%, but I'd say it was getting close, high 20%s I'd guesstimate, I've had some "32%" before that was more potent than either of these... Not super impressed with "Willy's Reserve" (caseydawg). Pictured is the Tropicana Cookies...

 

[f series]

Wow rip

 

[PJ Diaz]

Labs are giving higher (fake) test results to those who line their pockets, plain and simple.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/marijuana/2019/08/16/michigan-suspends-marijuana-testing-labs-walled-lake/2035426001/

State shuts down Walled Lake marijuana testing lab for fudging test results:​

The number of marijuana testing facilities, already considered small to handle the growing number of pot producers in the state, shrunk from six to five Friday when the state suspended the license of a Walled Lake business on accusations of faking test results.

The state Marijuana Regulatory Agency filed a formal complaint against Iron Labs of Walled Lake for, among other things, finding marijuana that tested above the legal limit for various contaminants but not reporting those test results in the state’s tracking system. The lab allegedly also didn’t report edibles that tested above the state’s potency limit for THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana that produces a high.

“Respondent lacks integrity, moral character and responsibility or means to operate or maintain a marijuana facility,” the state’s complaint reads.

The state, which hasn’t received any reports of adverse health reactions from people who used products tested by Iron Labs, urged medical marijuana patients to be wary of the products tested by the facility.

More: Three communities say no to marijuana businesses during Tuesday's election

More: Michigan picks up pace of reviewing and awarding marijuana business licenses

"It is imperative that our licensees follow the rules and laws, especially regarding the testing of medical marijuana product,” MRA Executive Director Andrew Brisbo said in a statement Friday. “We are intensely focused on making sure that the marijuana product in the regulated industry meets established safety standards.”

The state said because the matter is still under investigation, it couldn't reveal how much of the state's marijuana supply was tested by Iron Labs.

While criminal charges have not been filed yet in the case, Attorney General Dana Nessel said her office is “committed to working closely with the Marijuana Regulatory Agency to take action against those facilities that disregard the rules to the detriment of the public and industry fairness.”

The labs’ operating license expired Aug. 9, but the owners had filed an application for renewal. They have the right to request a compliance conference to respond to the state’s complaint and try to get the suspension reversed.

Iron Labs couldn’t be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

 

[Flowki]

I think it speaks to how things changed with legalization. Lots of noobs flood the market many wanting the highest THC possible because that google search they did conflated potency with quality. As time passes and they gain experience, they learn that they're different things, and demand shifts to reflect that. Also, some of them may have had somewhat more...intense experience than they were looking for, and are looking for something more moderate.Again, demand shifts, and either supply or advertising shifts to meet it. Wonder what the next buzzword will be, some cannabinoid we haven't heard of yet?

You know I really want to agree with that as it does make sense but actually I'd say the reverse is likely true. Most newbs go for the heaviest yield in the quickest time, those strains are very often lower in thc. Once said growers are more experienced they then will more likely go for a greater happy medium, where thc increases but yield drops a bit. In that small spectrum of growers the over all thc levels would be going up over time on the graph.

Don't take this the wrong way, not trying to call you out for an argument. If anything it's quite interesting since it would mean IF an over all swing to lower thc exists, it is for a more hidden reason.

As others have said, it may be as simple as lies are conflated truths finally subsiding. It could be that thc is still rising due to cross strains and general better growing practices, even though that true rise might be hidden on the market if the previous sentence is true, hopefully that's not so confusing as I think ;p. As another possibility is the huge rise in medical use of weed. I know lots of people using the cbd oils (I make no claims for or against) and most of them do not want to smoke in general and/or they don't like being, or can not be stoned for work type issues. Weather that huge demand for cbd has had an effect on the ''old school'' indoor growers market I don't know. Unless indoor growers are diversifying into edibles and low/0thc oils then those customers were of no loss to the normal pot smoking market, so it would make no sense that pot market strains would move away from thc for that reason.

The most likely explanation is that the government is trying to reduce heavy thc strains for the mental illnesses associated with it. I read a few links to see if any truth was in it, apparently snoop dog is advising government officials who are systematically breading out any high thc strains that could be used to creat moon rock.

 

[CanadianJim]

You know I really want to agree with that as it does make sense but actually I'd say the reverse is likely true. Most newbs go for the heaviest yield in the quickest time, those strains are very often lower in thc. Once said growers are more experienced they then will more likely go for a greater happy medium, where thc increases but yield drops a bit. In that small spectrum of growers the over all thc levels would be going up over time on the graph.

Don't take this the wrong way, not trying to call you out for an argument. If anything it's quite interesting since it would mean IF an over all swing to lower thc exists, it is for a more hidden reason.

As others have said, it may be as simple as lies are conflated truths finally subsiding. It could be that thc is still rising due to cross strains and general better growing practices, even though that true rise might be hidden on the market if the previous sentence is true, hopefully that's not so confusing as I think ;p. As another possibility is the huge rise in medical use of weed. I know lots of people using the cbd oils (I make no claims for or against) and most of them do not want to smoke in general and/or they don't like being, or can not be stoned for work type issues. Weather that huge demand for cbd has had an effect on the ''old school'' indoor growers market I don't know. Unless indoor growers are diversifying into edibles and low/0thc oils then those customers were of no loss to the normal pot smoking market, so it would make no sense that pot market strains would move away from thc for that reason.

I was referring more to the bud side of the market rather than growers. When I started growing I used bagseed first, but as soon as I could I bought seeds that said they were easy to grow, and fast flowering as I live in an area with a rather sharply defined growing season. I grew indoors at first for security anyway so there are some strains I should've picked up when they were available.
Anyway, THC levels were second or third on my list of desirable traits.
When I first bought weed at a dispensary, where I could see a THC level, rather than seeing a little bag with a bud inside, I'll admit, that influenced my choices.
So, on a growing side, sure THC wouldn't necessarily be as big a selling point.
On a recreational smoker side however, I think noobs who picked up a gram labelled as 27%THC and had a stronger high than they were comfortable with, would then look at lower THC strains, and experienced smokers would be steering them towards better tasting strains, hence the rise in advertising of terpenes.
I think conflating the rec market and the med market is a mistake. The med market existed here for years before rec came along, and the popular med strains are still here. I guess this could be a "drinking grandpa's cough medicine" situation, of rec smokers trying a med smoker's stash as a first experience, but I doubt that would influence much.

 

[ANC]

But you have to get suspicious sometimes, I mean look at Ethos... How is it one guy suddenly has so many over 30%ers on the books...?

 

[CanadianJim]

But you have to get suspicious sometimes, I mean look at Ethos... How is it one guy suddenly has so many over 30%ers on the books...?

Yeah, but are they really 30% or is that the advertising?

 

[ANC]

xactly. And it's not even like sour grapes or anything, I have a bunch of his stuff I've been given and asked to grow out, I just don't like large variety in a seedpack.

 

[piratebug]

xactly. And it's not even like sour grapes or anything, I have a bunch of his stuff I've been given and asked to grow out, I just don't like large variety in a seedpack.

Yeah, if you are selling something, then stabilize your shit, cause there ain't nothing worse than growing a pack of seeds where nothing in that pack seeds even resembles what you said you are selling!!!!

 

[ANC]

 

[CanadianJim]

If they're all supposed to be the same thing I agree.
If I'm told that there's a variety of things I'd be happy because I like growing things to find out what they are, but that's just me.

 

[iShatterBladderz]

I think not having to hide from the police helps a lot too. I was born and raised in Seattle area, but a lot of my relatives lived in the Eureka area. When I used to go spend the summers at my cousins house, most of the outdoor stuff we were getting was just seeded out. The ability to have a grow that you don’t have to worry about visibility with, as well as a rise in the popularity of fems probably played a role. The plants I seen my uncle growing indoors under HPS bulbs were very similar to what you would see on a dispensary shelf. Percentages wasn’t even something we talked about back then, but he used to run a cut of northern lights that I have still yet to see a better specimen of. He had a lot of those really offensive skunk strains too, stuff like that I miss seeing around.

 

[Bakersfield]

I moved to Alaska as a teenager in the early 80's.
The weed was very good, we didn't have access to schwag. I tried Thai sticks and opium laced Thai back then as well, there was quite the variety of imports and of course MTF was king.

I would go to Cali every summer back then, and all there was, was Mexican weed. You smoked a joint of it and it would get you roasted though. Could go from laughing hysterically to paranoid as fuck in a matter of minutes.

Moved to Seattle in 90 and OMG, the local green was good! Northern Lights, G13, UW, effing amazing potent. I would say they had the best weed in the world. Was ground zero for indoor cultivation technology before the Dutch got involved, LA had its OG's, Chemdog found his seeds.

The old lady and I would go to some friends band house in Wallingford once a week to watch Twin Peaks.
We greened out so hard on that UW strain. She got up and fell on the floor and had a seizure.
Good Times!

 

[PadawanWarrior]

I moved to Alaska as a teenager in the early 80's.
The weed was very good, we didn't have access to schwag. I tried Thai sticks and opium laced Thai back then as well, there was quite the variety of imports and of course MTF was king.

I would go to Cali every summer back then, and all there was, was Mexican weed. You smoked a joint of it and it would get you roasted though. Could go from laughing hysterically to paranoid as fuck in a matter of minutes.

Moved to Seattle in 90 and OMG, the local green was good! Northern Lights, G13, UW, effing amazing potent. I would say they had the best weed in the world. Was ground zero for indoor cultivation technology before the Dutch got involved, LA had its OG's, Chemdog found his seeds.

The old lady and I would go to some friends band house in Wallingford once a week to watch Twin Peaks.
We greened out so hard on that UW strain. She got up and fell on the floor and had a seizure.
Good Times!

I was born in Seattle and I didn't even know what schwag was until I moved to CA. All I ever had in WA was the chronic.

 

[Bakersfield]

I'm currently growing the Phinest breeder cut of Fatso (Legend Og x GMO) I've yet to finish it and sample the results.
These test results will get a few peoples panties in a bunch.