Colorado’s Pot is More Potent than Ever
DENVER, March 23 (UPI) — Marijuana in Colorado is as potent as it’s ever been. And it’s completely legal. The strains of pot available for sale at weed dispensaries around the state are several times more powerful than those available two or three decades ago.
As part of the regulatory framework that oversees Colorado’s recreational pot industry, several state-certified labs monitor the makeup of various types of marijuana. According to the Denver-based testing firm Charas Scientific — which presented its latest findings on pot potency at this week’s American Chemical Society meeting — THC levels in standard strains are up around 30 percent.
Current levels are three times as high as the THC concentration in the street strains of the 1960s and 70s. THC is short for Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Andy LaFrate, president of Charas Scientific, says the new normal isn’t necessarily worrisome.
The main risk with high-potency weed, LaFrate told HeathDay News, is that consumers can overdo it when using edibles — pot baked into brownies or cookies, for example. The effects are harder to discern — and slow arriving — when THC is absorbed through the digestive system.
LaFrate’s lab also found traces of contaminants in several retail pot strains.
“Some contamination is inevitable,” LaFrate said. “Is there a threat from the contaminants we found? It’s hard to say. But if you’re smoking, these [substances] will be inhaled into the lungs.”
The new findings also make it especially clear that today’s recreational pot strains contain virtually no cannabidiol, or CBD — the component responsible for marijuana’s medicinal benefits.
Paul Armentano, deputy director of the nonprofit NORML, saw no surprises in the findings.
“It is well known that Colorado possesses two separate markets for [marijuana] — one for medical consumers and one for retail consumers,” said Paul Armentano, deputy director of pro-pot nonprofit group NORML.
If a medicinal user tries to buy pot at a recreational dispensary, he or she may not realize they’re not getting what they came for.
The lack of CBD has been implicated in the possible uptick in instances of pot-induced instances of psychosis — mainly panic attacks and heightened anxiety levels.
Alaska, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia all also boast legalized recreational marijuana.
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