Championship Cannabis Experiences are a Team Game

And high THC may not be the player you’re looking for

High THC strains are all the rage right now. Everyone wants a higher high. But what if there was something better, deeper, more satisfying – something that produced a championship-quality high, from a creator with no equal.

Who wouldn’t want some of that?

Cannabis has been bred for decades to contain higher and higher levels of THC, but this has often come at the expense of reducing or removing the other cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids normally found in the plant. Both anecdotal and scientific evidence suggest that this may affect the quality and depth of your cannabis experience.

Once You Reach a Certain Point, More THC Does Not Make You Higher

Scientists have already figured out that THC doesn’t work near as well without the complementary compounds that occur naturally in cannabis, which include other cannabinoids as well as terpenes and flavonoids. And recent research comparing medium and high THC cannabis, conducted by the University of Colorado, came to the conclusion that not only does THC content have nothing to do with how “good” the weed is, it is also a poor indicator of potency.

In other words, once you reach a certain percentage point, more THC doesn’t make you higher.

Meet the Players - Cannabinoids, Terpenes and Flavonoids

Cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, are the chemical compounds in cannabis that bind to receptors in your endocannabinoid system, which plays a major role in regulating a wide range of physiological and cognitive processes including sleep, appetite, mood, memory, pain sensation, reproduction and more. THC is responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis, while CBD is better known for its therapeutic properties and its ability to balance the effects of THC.

Terpenes are organic compounds produced by a variety of plants, including cannabis. They give different cannabis strains their unique taste and smell. Flavonoids are polyphenolic molecules that influence not only the colour of the cannabis plant, but also work with terpenes to enhance the aroma and flavour of a strain.

In addition to the many therapeutic properties of terpenes and flavonoids, they are also believed to interact each other and with cannabinoids to produce an entourage effect that can amplify or downplay the effects of cannabinoids such as THC and CBD.

The endocannabinoid system plays a major role in regulating a wide range of physiological and cognitive processes.

The study didn’t say the selective breeding process would improve the quality of your high. It didn’t have to. Think of it this way:

A Single Superstar Does Not Make a Championship Cannabis Experience

You have a hockey team with one superstar player (high THC - 20%+) and no other good players (terpenes and flavonoids) versus a team with one above average player (medium THC 12-18%) and numerous other good, solid players who work very well together. The first team is weak. It lacks depth and it has no chemistry. The second team has both depth and chemistry and sends wave after wave of talent onto the ice with every line change. It wins championships.

Which would you choose?

It can be exactly the same with cannabis strains. A 14% THC strain with a well developed terpene profile can produce a high that is deeper and more fulfilling than a 20% THC strain with a poor terpene profile, simply because all the different compounds, including terpenes, are working together on a variety of receptors and neurotransmitters. Everyone’s body chemistry is different, but the general principals still apply, and the growing environment also makes a huge difference.

“The growing methods and the curing have a big influence with regards to cannabis quality,” said Daniel Bean, Delta 9 Customer Care & Sales Manager. “A lot of these greenhouses and outdoor grows are just looking for biomass, while others, like Delta 9 and our Grow Pods, are focusing on smaller batches and better quality.”

Man versus Nature

While scientists have successfully been able to create synthetic THC and CBD in a lab, and have isolated the many compounds including terpenes and flavonoids that make up the cannabis plant, they are now realizing that the major cannabinoids, in particular THC, do not work as well on their own.

Companies are now spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying put all the glorious chemical compounds found in cannabis back together again in a fashion that will result in the ultimate predictable high.

In a New York Times article entitled Cannabis Scientists Are Chasing the Perfect High, Peter Gallagher, CEO at INSA, envisions an exciting future, where “you could come into the store and build your own blend of certain proportions of cannabinoids and terpenes.” Scientists are trying to recreate a level of quality that nature has already spent thousands of years developing.

Delta 9's Lava Cake is the new kid on the block

Championship Potential, Great Coach Required

The chances of man creating something better than nature have already been proven. Nature wins every time. But nature does take kindly to a little help in the form of specialized nutrients, water, lighting, hand trimming and the extra care provided by small batch processing, such as that in place at Delta 9. A great coach is always required to develop robust, healthy cannabis plants that include all the natural compounds needed to produce a championship experience.

One of the new Delta 9 strains that has benefited from the above care and coaching is Lava Cake, an Indica-leaning hybrid with a THC percentage of between 15 and 17 and all the marks of a healthy terpene profile that includes beta-Caryophyllene, Nerolidol, d-Limonene, alpha-Humulene and beta-Myrcene.

“Lava Cake is the new kid on the block,” said Bean. “And it was already a hot seller in Alberta. It has strikes of exotic purple in it and a very pungent aroma. When you open up the bottle it has an overpowering smell. It’s really exciting and we should have lots of it. It’s just coming into the stores now.”

Other medium THC strains Bean suggested -- each with a different terpene profile developed over many years -- include Afghani Kush (Indica), Stargazer (Sativa) and Super Lemon Haze (Sativa). Each will affect a person differently depending on their body chemistry, but all contain the essential team of compounds required to produce a deeper, more satisfying experience, with championship potential.

Created by nature. Coached by Delta 9.