There's more at play than just THC when it comes to how people are affected by a particular strain of cannabis. (Dave Dormer/Western Buzz)

By Dave Dormer

new research

Why terpenes matter as much as THC when it comes to buying cannabis

Mar 8, 2023 | 7:00 AM

Most customers walking into a licensed retail cannabis store are looking for one thing when deciding what to buy.

Bang for their buck.

But what does that really mean?

“What they consider bang for their buck is a low price-point with a high THC (tetrahydrocannabinol),” said Chris Felgate, owner of Small Town Buds, a retail store in Devon, Alta., just south of Edmonton.

“That means if you can walk into a store and buy something at 26 per cent THC for $21, that is by far the best deal in the store.”

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Taking that approach may get customers the best deal, but it most certainly won’t get them the best cannabis, or the best experience using it. This is where a little education can go a long way.

“What I try to do is find my customer the best product for them at the time,” Felgate said.

“When they come in and say, ‘Oh, I want bang for my buck,’ I say, ‘OK cool, are you just looking for high THC at a low price-point, or are you wanting something that gets you higher for less cannabis?'”

“And that, for whatever reason, that phrasing really like almost confuses the customer. They go, ‘Oh, well, what do you mean?’”

What that means is there’s a lot more at play than just THC — the psychoactive compound in cannabis — when it comes to how stoned a particular strain will get you.

Even though humans have been using cannabis medicinally and recreationally for at least the last 12,000 years, it wasn’t until the 1960s that we understood why.

Cannabinoids are found in the trichome (from the ancient Greek word for hair) of the cannabis plant,  which grow during the flowering stage.

THC was first isolated in 1964 at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, by Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, along with colleagues Dr. Yehiel Gaoni and Dr. Haviv Edery.

Before that breakthrough, researchers weren’t sure if it was one chemical or a series of compounds that produced the psychoactive effects of consuming cannabis.

Because it had been made illegal in most countries by then, research was stifled. Mechoulam has said it was the fact cannabis was so widely used with such little understanding that drew him to do research on it.

The discovery of THC led to further research and, in 1988, the endocannabinoid system was discovered in the human body.

NEW WAY OF CLASSIFYING CANNABIS

When cannabis was legalized in 2018, 20 per cent THC was considered strong.

By 2021, strains eclipsing 30 per cent started hitting store shelves, and recently, Tilray announced an infused pre-roll that clocks in at 42 per cent.

THC is what gets people high but terpenes — compounds that give plants their smell — along with things like flavonoids and esters, also contribute, through an entourage effect. So, rather than asking for the highest THC at the lowest price, customers should instead lead with their nose.

“Usually, what tastes good to you, smells good to you, is going to give you a good effect,” said Felgate.

“If your nose says, ‘Oh, I don’t like that,’ you taste it and say, ‘I don’t like that,’ you’re probably not going to get the desired effect.”

Amanda Breeze, a certified holistic aromatherapist based in Toronto, points to a recent U.S.-based study, which echoes that train of thought.

Holistic aromatherapist Amanda Breeze believes consumers should pay more attention to the terpene content of a strain. (Submitted photo/Amanda Breeze)

“The most significant finding of this research was that THC, dosage and potency, did not correlate in any way to the overall appeal,” she said.

“In fact, what they found was that when the participants reported that the flower smell was pleasant, it equaled a more positive outcome and overall experience … and that’s the goal of cannabis.”

Breeze says consumers should pay more attention to the terpene content of a strain than whether it’s labelled as ‘sativa,’ ‘Indica,’ or ‘hybrid.’

“Because that’s what’s going to nuance the overall effect,” she said.

Another study examined nearly 90,000 samples of cannabis flower from the U.S. recreational market and found terpenes tended to form in three common clusters.

• Cluster 1: Caryophyllene  and Limonene;
• Cluster 2: Myrcene and pinene;
• Cluster 3: Terpinolene and myrcene.

This, Breeze said, could lead to a new, more accurate way of classifying cannabis.

“They confirmed what aromatherapists and cannabis sommeliers already knew, which is that (sativa, Indica and hybrid) are completely arbitrary, having been inherited from the black market,” she said.

“What is causing the different effects overall in your consumption is the terpenes.”

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