Brick top is one of those guys that would be awesome to sit down and burn one with and debate all kinds of tom foolery.
Oddly I say the exact same thing about Winston Churchill. With his level of intelligence and his wit he would have to be fun to get high with and talk the night away.
I am still kind of confused on the calculated THC levels and THCA? i've grown SLH and it was up there on the potent list, not the most potent thing i ever smoked, but it was better than some other strains that are supposed to be so good, white widdow for example. - but, what breeder doesnt have white widdow version these days. you never know what your really getting anymore.
The THC/THCA thing is simple. Both are counted at being THC in that non-psychoactive THCA, under the proper conditions, will transform into THC, it is the precursor element to THC. There is no way for anyone to calculate if 65% of it of 80% of it or 100% of it will end up fully psychoactive THC so they just basically are saying that IF it does, X% will be the final percentage of THC.
Now it is known that intense enough heat, as in flame will cause at least a partial decarboxylization process to occur, the process of non-psychoactive THCA turning into fully psychoactive THC, which explains why freshly harvested and dried but uncured cannabis can still be fairly potent. But it will not cause full decarboxylization so that is part of what makes a long slow cure important. Even then not all non-psychoactive THCA will become fully psychoactive THC, but between a long slow curing process and then the intense heat of flame, or a vaporizer, you will achieve whatever the maximum amount of decarboxylization as is possible given the strain, drying conditions, curing conditions and length of time etc. It might turn out to be 100% and then be what a reported THC level claimed it would be, but it might end up being 90% or 92% or 89% etc. There is just no way to accurately predict what will happen 100% of the time.
That is why the more honest breeders will either not advertise a THC percentage or will say something like, 'as much as up to x%.' They know they cannot in all honesty say 22% or between 19% and 23% or no less than 25%. They also know that there can and will be a difference between phenotypes so to claim some percentage as if it is a fact in every case is something a more honest breeder will not do. They also know that genetics are really only about 50% of the final outcome and that while no one can grow a strain beyond it's genetic potential it is easy to grow it in a way to fall short of it's genetic potential, and they know many growers will do just that so they will not tell them they will end up with X%.
Other breeders have taken the Madison Avenue advertising hype route and will sample their wares and then take in the very best they have to be tested and out of all that is tested they will advertise the highest level found. They don't care in the least if you end up 5% lower or 8% lower. They already got you to fall for their advertising, they already banked your money and they know that unless you totally blow the grow, as long as it turns out pretty good you will tell yourself, and your friends, that you are toking 25%THC pot, even if in reality it's 18%.
People believe what they want to believe. If they believe a strain will assure them X% THC, as long as their crop turns out decent or better they will believe they have X% herb to smoke and they will LOVE the breeder because of it.
There are no truth in advertising laws in regards to strains and there are no full disclosure laws in regards to strains. Honest breeders take one route, less than honest breeders take another route and each individual believes whatever it is that they want and or need to believe.