Is it the Terps?

Over the years there has been a chorus of people claiming terpenes, the volatile aromatic compounds found in cannabis and many other plants, have a large part to play in the effects that cannabis has on the user. Entire marketing campaigns have been concocted based on this theory and the subculture has wholeheartedly eaten it up.

I’ve always questioned this stance asking simply, “Where is the evidence?” This is not a popular position, let me tell you. People want to believe what they want to believe. Studies proving the efficacy of terpenes are rare and recently some scientists have been challenging this notion.

I say this not to be a thorn in the side of a struggling industry but instead to serve as a warning. Early on there were many claims regarding what CBD would and could do. Some things have been born out but the more dramatic stuff has quietly stopped being reported on. The last thing the industry needs now is another self inflicted black eye due to people’s lack of research and, let’s be honest, straight up greed. What exactly does everyone think terpenes actually do? Now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t ever recall anyone actually claiming what they do, just the fact that they do something.

The truth is that the boiling point of most terpenes is low and they do not survive the heat of a flame. What you smell is not what you inhale.

The entourage effect may very well be real, but the constitute elements that make up that effect are what I question. As cannabis continues to rapidly gain broad acceptance, let’s not derail the train by going the route of snake oil, Fen-Phen, Baycol and Vioxx.

PRODUCT NEWS

If you’re going to grow cannabis in a greenhouse you will have to find an effective way to dehumidify without breaking the bank. Leave it to the Dutch to figure it out. Check out Van Dijk’s active dehumidification system.

OTHER NEWS

Under the category of eww - It’s a spider mite party!!

Episode 7 of Sea of Green podcast, “2 Bowls One Blunt” is out now. Episode 8 drops this Sunday featuring the one & only Ebonic Brown aka Street aka Paul Gnu -

“ Happiness is the only thing that doubles when you share it”

Thanks for reading,

d