Strange News from the Market

What is the market doing these days? The thing we discovered after cannabis was legalized in Colorado is that the weed that gets sold in that state for therapeutic reasons is now extremely powerful but is not as effective as it used to be. Let’s begin from the beginning. After a referendum in 2012, Colorado became the first state in the USA to legalize cannabis for both recreational and therapeutic purposes. The fact that it was THE first state turned Colorado into an incredible case study, an extremely precious source of data for sociologists, economists and physicians: a great social and scientific experiment. Among the many positive outcomes of this historic legalization process is also the fact that producers have to be kept under control and that the products have to be constantly analyzed – this is what the law says, and it’s a great think that it does.

The results of these analyses are very interesting. Andy LaFrate, a researcher who works for Charas Scientific, has recently claimed that the concentration of THC in the medical marijuana made in Colorado can reach the 30% level. The level of THC in the cannabis plant is the consequence of many factors, but it usually never crosses the 10% line. It is worth remembering that the state of Colorado allows its citizens to use THC-products to produce sweets, teas and more. In these culinary cases, the level of THC can even reach the 65, 8% level. The reason would be the creation of hybrids made precisely for this purpose: increasing the level of THC.

The problem is that while THC grows, the level of other cannabinoids is lowering. This is the case of the now famous CBD, aka cannabidiol, which is absolutely fundamental when it comes to the health benefits of the plant. In fact, CBD is the cannabinoid that helps people coping with seizures, pain, nausea and lack of appetite. It is also the key element in the fight against schizofrenia and Alzheimer, and even osteoporosis, just to mention a few examples.

Normally, the level of the precious CBD can reach the 40% line, but in the cannabis made in Colorado the levels sometime do not cross the 0, 1%. What this entire means, is that a lot of the cannabis smoked in Denver is great if you are looking for a HIGH but not so great if you need it for medical reasons. Further studies are needed to better understand the real magnitude of this problem. Surely, it looks like it’s better for to just buy some great seeds from somewhere else and then grow your plants at home.