Potency, what is considered potent weed today?

[funkyhorse]

One of the things that surprise me at the canna world is how different the concept of potency is for everyone
It seems there are many different concepts for potency

When I moved to the United States, I noticed the smokers here view potency differently than the smokers I grew up around

I am realizing potency is viewed differently by most people and we lack standards. It seems standards for quality vary as well
Would you mind explaining how do you see americans view potency? How potency is viewed where you grew up?

For me potency is the amount you have to use to get the effect

For me what is interesting in your view is you consider potency regardless of lenght of high and amount of tokes needed to get high
I think this is the way europeans view potency? Or are there variations in how potency is viewed?

I always considered potency the weed that gets you high the longest amount of time with the least amount of tokes.
Then you have better and worse potent weed. Potency and quality is not the same
But I find lack of clear standards regarding potency and what is considered potent today in this world. And the same applies for quality
I see no clear standards on what quality is. For me quality is only regarding to the quality of the effects and for others quality is something regarding to smells and tastes and emphasis is put just on taste and smell

 

[Ca++]

For some years, smoothness was my main concern. Quality is very subjective indeed.

Potent weed isn't a creeper. It's hard hitting, and immediate. You can say it's potent quite soon after consumption. If it doesn't last long, then that description is lost. Though it need not last forever. Some creepers last forever, but just don't get that 'potent' tag. It's more related to how hard hitting it is, with an average stay being enough.

imo..

Edit: The word potent, is from potential. This is more of a static term, than one that needs staying power. Thus, I believe something that can floor you for even a moment, is undeniably potent. Though may not be very satisfying, if you just get back up and dust yourself off

 

[Midbio]

Interesting topic...growing up, anything that could get you high with just one or two hits would have been considered potent. We called it 1 hitter quitter. To me though that stuff was never a quality high, just potent. There was a lot of Mexican weed in the early 2000's here in New England that people would regard as week because it was a creeper but in reality that stuff would get you high for hours and hours. It would take a good 10 minutes to come on but would leave you unbelievably stoned for the rest of the night. In hindsight that stuff was the real potent stuff but unfortunately that weed , whatever it was , is extinct over here now

 

[Ca++]

The pro approach is still mainly led by THC figures. It was good to read recently, that the labs able to do this will be under stricter control soon. I think it revolves around certification and checks. As the whole industry knows you can buy any result you want at the moment. From a large number of labs, all keeping their doors open with a host of trickery. Just not for long..

 

[Baba Karuna]

Would you mind explaining how do you see americans view potency? How potency is viewed where you grew up?

Growing up in Arabia, we smoked hash which was imported mainly from India and Pakistan. The best quality was bendy, sticky, oily, and smelled very strongly. The effect was psychedelic, dreamy, euphoric, spiritually stimulating, and made the eyes so red sometimes they looked almost purple. What was most desired was a complex, happy, mellow vibe that was relaxing and dreamy but not knock out sleepy. It lasted for hours and was highly enjoyable. It would come on quickly and build up over time instead of being a slap in the face with head pressure. It made us feel like our bodies were buzzing and "weightless," a sort of floating sensation. The best hash was aged and very smooth and easy on the lungs.

When I first smoked stateside it was my first encounter with hybrid flowers. It was bright green, sticky, and stinky. I quickly learned that smokers here (at least the ones I have encountered) usually favor a hard punch to the face, knock out, couch lock stone. I soon realized that the buds I was smoking were nowhere near as enjoyable as what I grew up with. I then began to cultivate landrace and heirloom varieties because they contained the magical essence I knew as a youth, especially when fermented and aged properly. When I have shared the varieties I grow with hardcore smokers in the US, they sometimes say its good and it's "mellow," meaning, not strong like the modern strains that punch you in the face. But they have a character that cannot be matched by Cookies and such.

Also, the experience of blending multiple plants from the same variety, whether in an herbal salad or a batch of hash, really brings out a special vibration. The entourage effect really comes into play in mixtures like this. In the states there is a lot of focus on single plants in terms of selecting and breeding, whereas the stuff I had growing up is coming from fields bred as a unit.

 

[Finepointcanon]

For my preference, I prefer creeper weed. Just because it takes 20 mins to get the effect, does not mean it will not be potent. I just don't like to jumpscare myself with mind alteration. The more immediately 'potent' strains seem to be indica heavy in my experience, while the 'softer' strains tend to be more sativa, but be careful, that soft weed might creep up on you around the time you smoke the second one because you thought it wasn't strong.

 

[Baba Karuna]

For my preference, I prefer creeper weed. Just because it takes 20 mins to get the effect, does not mean it will not be potent. I just don't like to jumpscare myself with mind alteration. The more immediately 'potent' strains seem to be indica heavy in my experience, while the 'softer' strains tend to be more sativa, but be careful, that soft weed might creep up on you around the time you smoke the second one because you thought it wasn't strong.

Truth

 

[exoticrobotic]

Great thread and very interesting to consider potency and quality and also our reasons and expectations in consuming the herb.



I supose nowadays potency is mainly thc% cbg cbd on a printout with a pie chart

it's like top trumps

Potency and quality is hard to define as we all partake for different reasons. Maybe one person wants a strong painkiller, another a sleep aid, another something to help workout.

i personally define potency as if it changes my perception markedly and does it in one spliff.

it also has to build nicely and have no limit

i'm impatient so it has to start doing all of this before i finish the spliff

Quality is more the nuances within that potency. Is it good, bad, does it make me more chatty, more philosophical more spiritual or more argumentative, does it give me energy or make me want to lie down?

 

[goingrey]

For my preference, I prefer creeper weed. Just because it takes 20 mins to get the effect, does not mean it will not be potent. I just don't like to jumpscare myself with mind alteration. The more immediately 'potent' strains seem to be indica heavy in my experience, while the 'softer' strains tend to be more sativa, but be careful, that soft weed might creep up on you around the time you smoke the second one because you thought it wasn't strong.

You are talking about the speed of onset, unrelated to potency.

And @funkyhorse is talking about duration of effect.

 

[exoticrobotic]

I'm finishing the last strain in my stash.

It is potent but do i particularly like the high?

yes and no

It gives good energy so i can workout but also makes me a tad jittery, impatient and leads to massive over consumption with online shopping.

 

[goingrey]

For me what is interesting in your view is you consider potency regardless of lenght of high and amount of tokes needed to get high
I think this is the way europeans view potency? Or are there variations in how potency is viewed?

po·ten·cy​

(pō'tĕnt-sē),
1. Power, force, or strength; the condition or quality of being potent.
2. Specifically, sexual potency.
3. In therapeutics, the relative pharmacologic activity of a dose of a compound compared with the dose of a different agent producing the same effects (for example, aspirin and acetaminophen are of equal potency in alleviating headache [same dose required], but ketorolac exhibits greater potency than ibuprofen, given that 20 mg of the former is as effective as 400 mg of the latter).
[L. potentia, power]
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

 

[exoticrobotic]

The more immediately 'potent' strains seem to be indica heavy in my experience, while the 'softer' strains tend to be more sativa,

you should try a good haze

 

[Finepointcanon]

you should try a good haze

I like haze, anything from Latino America has my attention at least. I live in Thailand now so what I get is mainly different varieties of outdoor Thai that can sometimes flower for a half year. I was just thinking of how I want to travel to the Middle East this morning!

Potency to me is not simply strength of product.

I see it as a combination of strength, duration of onset, and duration of effect. "Potency" to me refers to the combination of these things which together create the experience of effect.

Hope you can keep it up with those landraces! Check out the book: "How Plants are Trained to Work for Man" by Luther Burbank. He writes beautifully about how, through selection and observation, you can learn the entire life history of any variety, you can infer the environmental or artificial factors that led to certain traits being locked in. It's very interesting to use this knowledge when working with landrace varieties as their genetic history is still mainly intact from the beginning to now.

 

[exoticrobotic]

i'm not sure you can call sativas soft, especially thais, maybe some thais have a longer time to feel maximum effects, the creeper types but are they really 'soft' ?

 

[revegeta666]

Growing up in Arabia, we smoked hash which was imported mainly from India and Pakistan. The best quality was bendy, sticky, oily, and smelled very strongly. The effect was psychedelic, dreamy, euphoric, spiritually stimulating, and made the eyes so red sometimes they looked almost purple. What was most desired was a complex, happy, mellow vibe that was relaxing and dreamy but not knock out sleepy. It lasted for hours and was highly enjoyable. It would come on quickly and build up over time instead of being a slap in the face with head pressure. It made us feel like our bodies were buzzing and "weightless," a sort of floating sensation. The best hash was aged and very smooth and easy on the lungs.

When I first smoked stateside it was my first encounter with hybrid flowers. It was bright green, sticky, and stinky. I quickly learned that smokers here (at least the ones I have encountered) usually favor a hard punch to the face, knock out, couch lock stone. I soon realized that the buds I was smoking were nowhere near as enjoyable as what I grew up with. I then began to cultivate landrace and heirloom varieties because they contained the magical essence I knew as a youth, especially when fermented and aged properly. When I have shared the varieties I grow with hardcore smokers in the US, they sometimes say its good and it's "mellow," meaning, not strong like the modern strains that punch you in the face. But they have a character that cannot be matched by Cookies and such.

Also, the experience of blending multiple plants from the same variety, whether in an herbal salad or a batch of hash, really brings out a special vibration. The entourage effect really comes into play in mixtures like this. In the states there is a lot of focus on single plants in terms of selecting and breeding, whereas the stuff I had growing up is coming from fields bred as a unit.

Thank you for such an excellent post! Sent you a PM

 

[zaprjaques]

hard to say, so besides the scientifical definition of potency there's an abstract definition for many different individuals apparently.
hard/soft, light/heavy, dull/accentuated, narcotic/energizing,
i lost my train of thought haha...

 

[exoticrobotic]

hard/soft, light/heavy, dull/accentuated, narcotic/energizing,

wrt potency i compare herb to pharmaceutical drugs

it is potent if i am able to achieve a pharmaceutical strength high from my herbs

 

[Finepointcanon]

i'm not sure you can call sativas soft, especially thais, maybe some thais have a longer time to feel maximum effects, the creeper types but are they really 'soft' ?

Well, sometimes. I meant more the idea that that is how they could be interpreted due to the fact that the first 20 mins or so are a buildup.

But to answer your question, yes absolutely some Thais are soft feeling. Like a very buzzy electric psychedelic feeling with a calm center and relaxed body. Usually the purple ones or ones with an earthy or smooth musky mango flavor. The ones with a sharp lemon or spicy taste tend to be a bit more intense. Sativas can have a really wide range of effect, even very long flowering ones. I've been learning a lot about Thais living here and making friends with farmers.

When I lived in France we used to get hash. The best was always called Paki, and it had that dreamy mellow euphoric quality that you were talking about from your youth. I'd love to grow indicas like that.

 

[X15]

Creeper effect is becoming more my standard these days for potency. There’s something about taking a rip and it coming on over a 30 min period vs taking one and getting hit like a ton of bricks. That ton of bricks high doesn’t last for me. And is usually followed by some negative effects. Where as when that high creeps on slowly within 30 mins, then an hour later I’m stoned to the bone… that’s potent medicine for me. Helps me save herb bc I’m not constantly smoking it and there’s little come down.
I’m learning the cure has a lot to do with that effect.
But I’d love to know more about what that cure does for the thc cbd and other cannabinoids. 2-3 months is my go to with the stuff I’ve been cultivating lately.
Anyone have any input on the cure and potency?
Alternative modern curing or drying methods don’t seem to have the same effect

 

[Finepointcanon]

Creeper effect is becoming more my standard these days for potency. There’s something about taking a rip and it coming on over a 30 min period vs taking one and getting hit like a ton of bricks. That ton of bricks high doesn’t last for me. And is usually followed by some negative effects. Where as when that high creeps on slowly within 30 mins, then an hour later I’m stoned to the bone… that’s potent medicine for me. Helps me save herb bc I’m not constantly smoking it and there’s little come down.
I’m learning the cure has a lot to do with that effect.
But I’d love to know more about what that cure does for the thc cbd and other cannabinoids. 2-3 months is my go to with the stuff I’ve been cultivating lately.
Anyone have any input on the cure and potency?
Alternative modern curing or drying methods don’t seem to have the same effect

In my limited experience a 2-3 month cure takes away some of the jitters that a strain may have fresh. Smooths it out and makes it a bit more complex, but I think each strain reacts differently to this. I know some people have said that with some strains they like it right off the plant.