Many people who smoke marijuana often do not know that there are different strains and types of plants. Rolling out spoke with Cobra Extracts, which specializes in marijuana vape oil. Here are a few facts on marijuana.
Marijuana comes in a variety of strains. Those strains fall into three distinct categories. What are the differences?
Indica– Known for relaxation and best used towards the end of the day. Can help with insomnia, appetite, pain, depression, etc.
Sativa– Known for energy and bringing people up, best used in the morning or afternoon. Can help with creativity, stress, sex, exercise, etc.
Hybrid– Depending on the type of hybrid, these can be sativa leaning or indica leaning. The effects can vary depending on what kind of hybrid.
It seems that marijuana today has a very pungent odor why is that?
The strains are determined by the ratio of cannabinoids in the plant. One of those components is called terpenes. Terpenes are what determine the smell and effect of the strain. For example, indicas have more of certain terpenes while sativas have more of other terpenes. Hybrids are a combination. Terpenes are incredibly important in determining what effects a strain has on you. The terpenes work together to affect your brain chemistry in a phenomenon known as the entourage effect. Which essentially says that terpenes don’t work alone. They work together with each other and other components in marijuana (CBD, THC, etc.) to have the desired effect.
How has marijuana potency changed over the last two decades and why?
The marijuana plant itself has been bred to be more potent over the last several decades — going from 5 percent back in the ’60s to 20-25 percent THC today. However; the innovations of the last 5-10 years have been huge. As the marijuana industry became mainstream and legalization began to spread, innovators and scientists have been figuring out ways to not only make the plant more potent or control the ratio of components for desired effects but also making strides in extraction methods. Using technology to extract the base molecules from the plant to build new compounds. Compounds that can be more targeted to achieve specific outcomes. For example, CBD isolates for children so they get the benefits of CBD without any of the psychotropic effects of THC. It has also allowed manufacturers to create products with every increasing potency. Though as potencies have started to reach 95 percent, we’ve learned that just high THC percentages alone are not as effective without the other compounds, such as terpenes.
Can all marijuana be considered a natural product? Why or why not?
That depends on what you consider natural. There are extraction methods that are much more natural than others. There are methods using CO2, Rosin presses, or even dry ice that most would consider natural ways to do the extraction. While there are some methods using chemicals like Butane that are not natural. But even just the plant alone might not be natural enough for some consumers depending on how they are grown. For example: is the plant grown organically? As with many things, it depends on perspective.
