Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by R0b0t1 1460 days ago
THC is THC, but there are other compounds in the plant that appear important in the texture of the experience. Many people report the same, and following the delta-8 legalization wave they are apparently fractionally distilling the plant extract and separating out many of the active components.
1 comments
_j5l3 1460 days ago
https://bedrocan.com/international-research-shows-no-genetic...

> The research shows that genetically it is impossible to prove whether a cannabis plant is an Indica or Sativa. There is no difference in the genes.

> The overall chemical profile, like the genetics, shows no apparent difference between the labels.

link
civilitty 1460 days ago
The GP is talking about the "overall chemical profile" that depend on the strain and growing conditions. There are over a hundred cannabinoids identified in cannabis that have a variety of effects in humans (not to mention the terpenes/terpenoids), including several that are produced when THC oxidizes so the "overall chemical profile" depends on the age of the plant matter in question as well as how it was processed and stored.

Whether the Indica/Sativa marketing labels correlate with that chemical profile or not is besides the point. We know that different batches of the same strain can have different concentrations and ratios of all the of the relevant compounds because most legalized states require testing every batch. I don't know of any high quality research that studies how the subjective experience correlates with different doses and ratios but given that at least one of the most common compounds in cannabis is FDA approved to treat epilepsy (Epidiolex) and all the anecdotal evidence, it's really not a stretch to see how different strains produce different highs in different people.

link
Werewolf255 1460 days ago
I mean, this is like saying that sweet onions aren't sweet. Yes, it's a regular onion, but growing conditions, fertilizers, and in-situ conditions mean that it is, in fact, a sweeter onion. Genetics would show that it's not different, but it has an obvious difference which is measurable through non-genetic means.
link