Managing the humidity levels in a cultivation operation is absolutely critical to maintaining a growth schedule and getting optimal production out of plants. If humidity levels creep too low during the vegetative growth phase, plants will be stunted, and you will lose weeks of production waiting for them to pull through. If humidity is too high, you are at risk for disease outbreaks, including the infamous bud rot.

Here are six tips to help you better manage cultivation facility humidity.

1. Track indoor and outdoor environmental data.

Humidity changes inside a grow are not dependent upon just the actual relative humidity (RH) of the incoming air, but also the grow room temperature. Many cultivators have struggled because they have taken plans from a cultivation operation in California or another western state and dropped them into the Midwest or Northeast without accounting for the differences in ambient outdoor conditions. Tracking outside environmental data throughout the year is the best way to anticipate patterns and make changes in advance.

2. Steam your way through veg.

Plants like a lot of humidity in the vegetative growth phase. Of course, each cultivar likes a slightly different environment, but generally speaking, at our Galenas facility in Akron, Ohio, we keep relative humidity around 65% to maximize transpiration and keep plants healthy and growing at their maximum rate. This humidity level keeps the plant’s stomata open, which keeps water and nutrients pulling up through the plants. Nutrient mobility is the key to healthy plants.

3. Stage your dehumidifiers based on other environmental changes.

Humidity levels tend to spike right after the lights go off. One way to offset this spike is to ramp up dehumidifiers from a half hour before to a half hour after lights turn off. Pay attention to those environmental logs.

4. Transition gradually.

Plants can tolerate lower humidity as they move through the flowering period. We like to keep our RH at 65% for the first week of flower. This minimizes plant stress during a naturally stressful part of their life cycle. Between weeks three and eight, we gradually lower the RH.

5. Avoid swings to prevent disease.

Sporulation of powdery mildew can occur if there are large swings in humidity. Avoid creating humidity from flood-style watering, and make sure to remove any standing water if overflows or leaks in irrigation systems occur.

6. Work with your product manufacturers.

We use LED lights throughout our facility, and the supplier provided a cultivation guide. It provides mounting heights and dimming percentages at specific distances, as well as temperature, photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), CO₂ and RH management guidelines. Also included is a great Vapor Pressure Deficit chart.

Geoff Korff is founder and CEO of Galenas, a Level II cultivator in Ohio’s medical cannabis program, operating out of Akron. Christine DeJesus is director of cultivation at Galenas.

If the recent outbreak of vape-related illnesses has taught the cannabis industry anything, it’s that we’re just scratching the surface of what we know about this plant and its compounds.

There is no main suspect in this rash of illnesses which has claimed 34 lives and made 1,604 people sick (as of press time, Oct. 28), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Early reports pointed toward vitamin E acetate, a cutting agent used safely in nutraceutical and topical formulations but that has not been studied or approved for use in vape concentrates. But CDC investigations have not identified a single product linking all cases, except that most (not all) patients report a history of using THC products.

These recent reports have highlighted the need to take a closer look at how concentrated cannabis compounds, even in their purest form, respond to 21st-century methods of extraction and high-heat consumption. Terpenes, the natural aromatic compounds that drive both scent and effect characteristics in cannabis, are some of the volatile variables that should be considered as the industry seeks a better understanding of extraction and its impact on consumption.

A Closer Look at Terpenes

Terpenes are natural compounds found in many animals and plants. They comprise the largest class of natural products, with 75,000 known, structurally diversified compounds. Multiple studies have attributed a large range of pharmacological properties, such as anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-hyperglycemic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-parasitic to this big family of compounds. Terpenes have been an important source of medicinal products for millennia and continue to have employment in the fields of medicine, pharmacy and general biology.

As of 2017, more than 560 unique chemical constituents have been identified in cannabis, with more than 100 unique cannabinoids and more than 150 individual terpenes reported. Data presented in a 1996 paper titled “The Volatile Oil Composition of Fresh and Air-Dried Buds of Cannabis Sativa,” by Simit A. Ross and Mahmoud A. Elsohly, “show that fresh bud oil is mainly composed of monoterpenes (92%), with 7% sesquiterpenes and approximately 1% made up of other chemical classes such as simple ketones and esters.”

Regarding most of the terpenes available in the market today, multiple sources are available:

1. Organic food-grade terpenes (derived from plants and fruits)
2. CO₂-extracted, fractionalized terpenes (derived from cannabis)
3. Steam distillation, hydrodistillation and steam/hydrodistillation (utilizing cannabis)
4. Thin-film distilled (utilizing cannabis)

Each of these terpene-extraction and isolation methods carries its own potential problems.

The Science of Distillation and Extraction

The cannabis-derived terpenes sold to extractors are not what consumers—and sometimes manufacturers—think they are. Hydrosols are not pure cannabis terpenes in composition, but rather a byproduct derived from distillation. Most true essential oils are produced by distillation.

The term distillation is derived from the Latin word distillare, which means “trickling down.” In its simplest form, distillation is the evaporation and subsequent condensation of a liquid and typically produces artifacts of the original composition caused by oxidation, thermal degradation (i.e., heat), chemical degradation and chemical conversion.

The term essential oil is a contraction of the original quintessential oil. This definition stems from the Aristotelian idea that matter is composed of four elements, namely fire, air, earth and water. The fifth element, or quintessence, was then considered to be the spirit or life force. Distillation and evaporation were thought to be processes of removing the spirit or life force from the plant. This is also reflected in our language since the term “spirits” is used to describe distilled alcoholic beverages such as brandy, whiskey and eau de vie. The last of these (from French: “water of life”) again makes reference to the concept of removing the life force from the plant.

There are multiple distillation processes used, but in all of them, water is heated to produce steam, which carries the most volatile chemicals (terpenes are classified as volatile organic compounds) and essential oils of the plant material with it. Then, the steam is cooled in a condenser, with the resulting distillate collected in a separate container. Whether using steam distillation or hydrodistillation or a combination of the two, the resulting hydrosols are basically the same and are equally problematic.

Steam vs. Hydro Distillation

Steam distillation is the most efficient form of distillation and the most versatile. (For an in-depth explanation, I suggest reading “Hydrosols or Distillation Waters: Their Production, Safety, Efficiency, and the Sales Hype” by Martin Watt.) Although many oils are produced by steam distillation, they all lack the vibrancy of the oils collected without being exposed to heat, as sensitive compounds could be thermally degraded and/or hydrolyzed.

One of the many disadvantages of water or steam distillation is oxygenated compounds such as phenols. Phenols have a tendency to dissolve in distilled water, so their complete removal by distillation is not possible. Essential oils with high solubility in water and those susceptible to damage by heat cannot be separated through steam distillation. The compounds also must be steam-volatile for steam or water distillation to be feasible. Therefore, essential oil obtained by distillation does not represent the natural oil as it originally occurs in plant material.

Another disadvantage of steam or water distillation is that complete extraction is not possible, and that certain esters are only partly hydrolyzed, and sensitive substances like aldehydes, which are highly reactive, tend to polymerize or form undesirable byproducts. Proper extraction of essential oils occurs only by the process of expression or solvent extraction.

Before discussing the basic principles of essential oil production, it is important to understand that the essential oils people have in bottles or drums are not necessarily identical to what is present in the plant. With a few rare exceptions, it is wishful thinking to consider an essential oil to be “the soul” of the plant, and thus an exact replica of what is present in the plant. Only expressed oils that have not come in contact with heat or aerial oxidation may meet the conditions of a true plant essential oil. The chemical composition of distilled essential oils is not the same as that of the contents of the oil cells present in the plant or with the odor of plants growing in their natural environment.

A great example is rose oil. A nonprofessional individual examining pure natural rose oil, even in distillation, will not recognize the plant from which it was sourced. The alterations caused by hydrodistillation are remarkable: As the plant material comes into contact with steam, it undergoes many chemical changes. Hot steam will decompose terpenes, and aldehydes and esters may be formed from acids generated during the vaporization of certain essential oil components. Some water-soluble molecules may be lost by solution in distillation water, thus altering the oil’s fragrance profile.

Distillation produces essential oils and a byproduct called floral water, or hydrosol, hydrolate, herbal water and essential water, which are aqueous byproducts of distillation. They are colloidal suspensions (hydrosols) of essential oils as well as water-soluble components obtained by steam or hydrodistillation from plants and herbs. Distillates are used for flavorings, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Herbal distillates are produced in the same or similar methods as essential oils, but the appropriate term for the resulting product, essential water, is more descriptive and appropriate.

In the past, these essential waters were considered a byproduct of distillation. Today, they are considered co-products. The science of distillation is based on how different compounds vaporize at different temperatures. Unlike other extraction techniques based on the solubility of a compound in either oil or water, distillation will separate a multitude of compounds from the plant matter (although some will be lost in the water). The distillate will contain compounds that vaporize at or below the temperature of distillation. The actual chemical components of any distillate have not yet been fully identified, but distillates will contain some essential oil compounds as well as organic acids and other water-soluble plant compounds.

Compounds with a higher boiling point will remain behind and will include many of the water-soluble plant pigments and flavonoids. Herbal waters contain diluted essential oils. In addition to aromatic chemicals, these distillates also contain many more plant acids than pure essential oils, making them skin-friendly.

Cosmetics and toiletries manufacturers have found many uses for herbal distillates, but floral water (hydrosols) are unfit for human consumption via inhalation. (Do not vaporize, smoke or “dab” hydrosols.)

Challenges with Food-Grade Terpenes

As of yet, it is impossible to re-create the odor and flavor of the 150+ terpenes that exist in various cannabis cultivars or cultigens using food sources such as fruits and plants. It’s also unclear how many of these food-grade terpenes are safe to inhale—the data does not exist regarding vaping or dabbing.

The CO₂ extraction process typically utilizes dried plant material, where a percentage of terpenes are lost to evaporation. Then, processors extract the dry material using pressurized CO2 gas. Any remaining moisture in the plant material contributes to the formation of carbolic acid and a phenol, an aromatic organic compound that tends to homogenize the odor and flavor of whatever terpenes remain. Some extractors super-dry their material, destroying and evaporating even more terpenes.

Steam and/or hydrodistillates are not whole terpene compositions. Some are simply hydrosols being sold for $10 per drop. These hydrosols contain minimal percentages of terpenes and only a small percentage of the available 150+ terpenes available in cannabis. Steam and/or hydrodistillates produce destroyed, converted artifacts of the original terpene composition from the original plant material, which includes any true distilled terpenes, as well.

Thin-film distillation units can process and distill many forms of extract ranging from cold-fluid extraction to CO2 extraction to ethanol extracts and so on. But terpenes are lost and converted by heat in this distillation process, creating artifacts and fractions. Therefore, it is impossible to produce a distillate that has the odor and flavor of the original plant material.

The Advantages of Heat-Free Extraction

Headspace technology is a unique method allowing for the capture of the volatile constituents of oil cells, providing additional information about the plants. Clive Christian, a British perfume company, describes headspace technology as “a process used to capture the odor compounds present in the air surrounding an object. This provides perfumers with the data needed to re-create a synthetic scent from something in nature that isn’t extractable via traditional methods.” In other words, this method has made it possible to detect the volatile components of the plant’s “aura.”

I suspect the phytochemical percentages cited in Ross and Elsohly’s 1996 paper would be very different if researchers looked at modern-day cultivars using a heat-free extraction and analytical method, such as cold headspace trapping. Existing data comes from U.S. cannabis labs that often lack more effective terpene testing capabilities, such as cold headspace trapping. (Cold headspace trapping is almost exclusively used in the fragrance industry.)

The chief benefit of hydrocarbon, ethanol and CO₂ extraction is that a consistent temperature can be maintained during the process. This allows extracted oils to have a more complete odor profile. For example, very delicate aromatics like jasmine and linden blossom cannot survive the process of distillation. To capture their magical aromas, processors use a solvent extraction process.

The most aromatic extractions occur at or below ambient temperatures, which prevents thermal degradation of the compounds. The solvent extraction process uses the selectivity of the solvent with no heat application, oxidation, degradation conversion or destruction of the original composition.

Terpenes and the Future of Pharmaceuticals

Effective drug development depends on multidisciplinary collaborations, such as those among botanical, phytochemical and biological disciplines. Worldwide sales of terpene patent-based pharmaceuticals in 2002 were approximately US$12 billion (“Terpenes and Derivatives as a New Perspective for Pain Relief: A Patent Review Expert Opinion”). With the real medicinal value of cannabis compounds, such as cannabinoids and terpenoids, just beginning to be explored, expect a multibillion-dollar cannabis pharmaceutical industry to emerge someday.

So, are terpenes safe?

The extracts of cannabis, both cannabinoids and terpenes, are very complex, and very little is known regarding consumption in concentrated form. I believe that cold-solvent extraction yields far superior products than steam or hydrodistillation with respect to terpene extraction, isolation and preservation. Also, I think terpenes derived from pure cannabis are higher in quality, and represent a fuller terpene profile and composition than simple hydrosol or floral water. Hydrosols, again, are not fit for heated inhalation.

That being said, I have not yet found correlating data that unequivocally states that elevated or concentrated levels of terpenes are healthy to inhale, and too many questions remain to make safe assumptions about concentration levels and toxicity thresholds of each terpene. Again, these questions are in regard to pure terpenes, not hydrosols, which contain only small percentages of terpenes.

It should be possible to relate the intake of high doses of the substances to observed toxicity, yet efforts to evaluate the safety of a natural product based on its chemical composition and the variability of that composition’s phytochemistry for the intended use are in their infancy. The chemical constitution of a natural product is fundamental to understanding the product’s intended use and factors affecting its safety.

Recent advances in analytical methodology have made intensive investigation of the chemical composition of a natural product economically feasible and even routine. High-throughput instrumentation necessary to perform extensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of complex chemical mixtures and to evaluate the variation in the composition of the mixture is now a reality. In fact, analytical tools needed to chemically characterize these complex mixtures are becoming more cost effective, while the cost of traditional toxicology is becoming more cost intensive.

Based on the wealth of existing chemical and biological data on the constituents of essential oils and similar data on essential oils themselves, it is possible to validate the safety of a natural mixture based on its chemical composition. By looking at the interaction between one or more molecules in the natural product and macromolecules, such as proteins and enzymes, we can understand the biological response, regardless of whether it is a desired functional effect, such as a pleasing taste or a potential toxic effect, such as lung damage.

The most disturbing issue regarding the sale, formulation and heated inhalation of concentrated essential oils and hydrosols is that there is no correlating data supporting either a pro or con for use related to inhalation at elevated temperatures in part or as a whole composition of a matrix of terpenes. A healthy threshold must be established for the industry to confidently sell its products without worrying about getting patients and consumers sick. As it stands, people who are dabbing or inhaling hydrosols for which they pay $10 a drop are being used as test subjects.

From all substantiated data above, it’s clear that cold-solvent extraction—such as the cold expression of fresh, undried plant material—produces the highest-quality terpene extracts and that hydrosols and formulations of a few food-grade terpenes can’t completely recreate the flavor or odor of living plant characteristics. (A mixture of many cannabis terpenes also has an inevitable color tone. Purified compounds and mixtures of a few, such as hydrosols and floral waters, can be clear in color, but mixtures of many terpenes have color.)

Research and recent lessons learned are reminders that we as an industry should be mindful of how we present our products to ensure we’re not misrepresenting the contents or the safety of our patients’ and consumers’ favorite products.

Kenneth Morrow is an author, consultant and owner of Trichome Technologies. Facebook: TrichomeTechnologies Instagram: Trichome Technologies k.trichometechnologies@gmail.com

Note: This article originally appeared in Cannabis Business Times' August 2017 issue.

As our industry grows and attracts more botanists, horticulturalists and formally trained master growers, we need to be on the same page for our cannabis discussions. For clarity and uniformity, it’s important that we standardize our common language terms and use botanical terms correctly.

Common terms such as bud, cola and nug are often used interchangeably, whereas several botanical terms are misused more often than not. Here, we go over botanical features of the cannabis plant and identify its components to help cultivators use accurate terminology.

Common Usage

As I learned in the 1970s, the term bud and cola had qualitative differences in meaning. Decades later, nugs, another term for buds, became popular with indoor growers. All three—bud, cola and nug— consist of female cannabis flowers, yet all have unique characteristics that currently are losing their original distinctions.

Let’s begin with bud, the most popular and universally used word for marijuana. Botanists, speaking generally, use the term bud to mean any newly emerging plant part, appearing as no more than a nub or protuberance, whether it will become a branch, flower or leaf.

But in marijuana culture, bud refers to a distinct cluster of female cannabis flowers. Female flowers usually arise in pairs so tightly bunched together with succeeding pairs, that such pairing is apparent only in “running” buds most commonly seen in Southeast Asian landraces. Much more typical, female flowers grow tightly together, forming solid ovoid, pyramidal or teardrop-shaped clusters, usually about 1 to 3 inches long, and generally consisting of 30 to 150 densely packed individual flowers. The oldest flowers are found at the bud’s base, and the youngest at the top. Botanically, buds are racemes. (Editor’s note: In racemes, flowers grow along the plant’s axis.)

Cola, another commonly used term for female flower clusters, more often refers to an aggregate of buds that, having formed so closely together, looks like a single, very large bud. Colas form at the ends of stems and branches, and can be more than a meter long when grown outdoors or in greenhouses. Under lights, plant tops usually form colas no more than 8 inches long, particularly because plants are smaller, and canopies are restricted and trained to be uniform. Foxtail, another term for cola (cola is Spanish for tail), is rarely heard these days except from those whose history with marijuana goes back to the 1970s or 1980s. Most seasoned growers distinguish colas from buds. Nug (from nugget), another more recent term for a bud, more specifically refers to a manicured, dried bud, usually indoor-grown. Old timers rarely call a growing bud a nug, while more recent growers often make no distinctions, and call all buds and colas nugs, regardless of freshness, dryness or size.

Botanical

When discussing specific flowering parts, botanical terms are routinely used. And here, confusion reigns. Foremost is the common, incorrect use of calyx. Growers read or hear about swollen calyxes being a sign of maturity and an indication of readiness for harvesting. And growers, touting a favorite phenotype, will refer to its high calyx-to-leaf ratio, meaning that within the buds, flowers predominate leaves. But, what are incorrectly called calyxes or false calyxes are correctly identified as bracts. (See photo above.) The correct term should be bract-to-leaf ratio.

Female cannabis flowers do have calyx cells, but not a defined calyx. The female calyx cells are part of the perianth, a translucent, delicate veil of tissue (about six cells thick) that partially encloses the ovule (prospective seed). Each female flower has a single ovule, which is encapsulated by its bracts. The bracts are small, modified leaves that enclose and protect the seed in what some growers refer to as the seed pod. The bracts, with their dense covering of large, stalked resin glands, contain the highest concentration of THC of any plant part. Bracts make up most of the substance and weight of high-quality marijuana buds.

By definition, a perianth consists of a corolla and a calyx. In more familiar, showy flowers, the corolla is the collection of brightly colored petals we generally appreciate when looking at flowers, and the calyx often is the smaller green cup (sepals) at the flower’s base. Bright, showy colors, large flower sizes and enticing fragrances evolved to attract insects such as bees and flies, or animals such as birds and bats to collect and transfer pollen to other flowers. Cannabis flowers are not brightly colored, large or enticingly fragrant (at least to most non-humans); cannabis plants are wind-pollinated with no need to attract insects or animals to carry the males’ pollen to female flowers; hence, calyx and corolla cells never evolved into significant, attractive or showy parts.

Each female marijuana flower has two stigmas that protrude from a single ovule, which is enclosed by bracts. Stigmas are the pollen catchers. They are “fuzzy” (hirsute), about ¼-inch to ½-inch long, are usually white, but may be yellowish, or pink to red and, very rarely, lavender to purple. Many writers identify stigmas as pistils, and this, too, is incorrect. The pistil consists of all the reproductive female flower parts: two stigmas attached to an ovule. Each flower then has only one pistil but two stigmas. The term is misused in many books and seed catalogs that describe a single cannabis flower as having two pistils.

If pollinated, the ovule of each female flower grows into a single seed (an achene). The perianth, which, again, includes calyx and corolla cells, tightly clasps the seed and often contains tannins, which give mature seeds their markings. Spots, blotches and stripe markings are likely to be corolla cells. Between a thumb and finger, you can rub the perianth off of seeds.

Pieces of this feature are excerpted and/or adapted from the section “Marijuana Terminology” by Mel Frank, from the book “Marijuana Horticulture Fundamentals” by Kenneth Morrow (aka “K”) of Trichome Technologies, published with permission from Green Candy Press.

Mel Frank has nearly five decades of cannabis cultivation experience and is an internationally recognized book author, publisher and contributor to many cannabis-based magazines. In 1988, he founded Red Eye Press, publishing his “Marijuana Grower’s Insider’s Guide” as well as updated versions of the “Marijuana Grower’s Guide Deluxe,” which he co-authored with Ed Rosenthal. His photographs have been made into posters, calendars and trading cards, and reproduced as art, and have appeared in books by Rob Clarke, Ken Morrow, Ed Rosenthal and Jorge Cervantes. He currently collaborates with a network of cannabis researchers, and works as a cannabis consultant and senior adviser.

Hop-forward beers with complex aromas are sweeping the market. Pioneered by innovative North American craft brewers, many of the major breweries have been quick to add India Pale Ales (IPAs)—beers traditionally recognized for their hoppy bitterness—to their expanding product lines. Modern-day IPAs and other craft beers are increasingly hopped with aromatic cultivars that impart their characteristic bitterness to beer and also express fruity, floral and herbal terpene aromas and flavors resembling those of cannabis flowers. The relationship between buds and suds are often enjoyed in social settings, and the enhanced effects of consuming hoppy beers are often discussed on beer blogs. Is exploring the heightened effects of consuming hoppy beer and terpy cannabis together the natural next step?

Smoking and drinking in moderation go hand-in-hand, as any bar owner will attest. Many people relax after work with a smoke and a beer. So, what could be so special about using cannabis and drinking terpy beer compared to regular beer? Isn’t it just about the THC and ethanol?

Hop and Hemp

Humulus and Cannabis are each other’s closest botanical relatives. Female Humulus lupulus, or common hop plants, are commercially grown to produce the flowers called “hops,” which are most often dried and used in brewing beer. Hops are grown seedless to encourage the production of bitter alpha-acids and the aromatic terpenes important in brewing, much as cannabis flowers are grown seedless to encourage the production of cannabinoids and terpenes. Seeds only add to the weight, which increases the cost of the hops, while diminishing the target compound contents. And oily seeds are no more desirable in beer than they are in sinsemilla flowers.

OK, so Cannabis and hops are related. Why would consuming one enhance the effects of the other? The simple answer is that they both contain similar suites of aromatic terpenes. Only Cannabis plants produce cannabinoids (e.g., THC and CBD), while both Cannabis and hops produce a wide range of the same aromatic terpene compounds. The characteristic compounds found in hops that account for the bitter taste of beer are alpha-acids, especially humulone, which is absent from Cannabis. Humulone should not be confused with the terpene humulene, which is commonly found in both Humulus and Cannabis flowers. These closely related plant groups evolved from a common ancestor, and it is instructive to compare the aromatic contents of Cannabis essential oil to that of its near relative, and to understand which terpenes and other aromatic compounds are also shared by Humulus. (See the “A Closer Look: Terpenes in Cannabis and Hops” box below.)

Myrcene is the predominate terpene found in both Cannabis and Humulus and can make up more than three-quarters of the terpene content in some samples. Caryophyllene and the farnesenes are also found in high concentrations in both hemp and hops. Pinene is prevalent in Cannabis, while humulene is prevalent in Humulus and is one of the terpenes preferred by brewers. Limonene is a major Cannabis terpene, occasionally exceeding myrcene levels, and along with terpinolene, ocimene, carene and the phellandrenes, can have a major presence in Cannabis but usually only a minor presence in Humulus. On the other hand, bisabolenes, selinene, bergamotene, aromadendrene and spathulenol are more common in Humulus and only appear in smaller amounts in Cannabis. Brewer’s hops are usually myrcene and humulene dominant with the remaining terpenes found in much smaller amounts, and Humulus does not produce such a complex array of terpenes as Cannabis.

Without hops, beer is mostly fermented barley mash, water and ethyl alcohol. Ethanol is essentially a one-dimensional drug with limited variation of effect. The aromatic constituents of hops add a vivid spectrum to the basic shades-of-gray palette provided by alcohol alone. Sinsemilla contains predominately THC, a single psychoactive compound, as well, but supported by a wide range of aromatic terpene compounds that modify the effects of THC alone. Although Cannabis and Humulus plants share several common terpenes, others occur in both more rarely, and some are produced by only one genus or the other. Possibly cannabis adds to hoppy beer a broader spectrum of terpenes and thereby enhances a more well-rounded and complete experience. Terpenes may also create an olfactory bridge between the effects of consuming cannabis and the effects of drinking beer. The aromas common to both sinsemilla and hop flowers enhance the blending of these pleasurable experiences. In addition, subtle psychoactive effects induced by individual terpenes and aromatic blends may enhance the combined experience.

Historical Hops

Hops have long been associated with adding special properties to beers. “The Hop Farmer: A Complete Account of Hop Culture,” written in 1838 by agricultural writer E. J. Lance, informs us of the psychoactive potential of hoppy ales: “It is the opinion of brewers that the intoxicating qualities of ale are to be partly ascribed to the oil of the hop. … As a narcotic its powers are known in beer, and have been often used to produce sleep from the smell only … .”

Among beer lovers, the effects of hops are increasingly discussed. A brief survey of beer blogs discovered several effects attributed to hop-forward craft beers—especially those brewed with the particularly aromatic American hop varieties—including more vivid dreams, euphoric happiness and sedation.

Lance also writes that Georgian- and early-Victorian-era hops were smoked for their flavorful terpene content as well as their medicinal effects: “In a productive year any means of using up the hops will be of service to the growers, it is therefore recommended to be smoked instead of tobacco, or it may be mixed therewith; it is grateful to the taste and smell, and moreover will cure rheumatic pains by using in this way.”

These observations add credibility to the hypothesis that drinking hoppy beers can produce subtle effects above and beyond those from alcohol, and that an abundance of aromatic hops can enhance the experience of drinking beer.

Craft brewers have become increasingly transparent in their presentation of the hop and cannabis relationship. Some make subtle wink-wink, nudge-nudge allusions while more bold brewers leave no doubt where they stand. Hop Valley Brewing Company’s Bubble Stash IPA label encapsulates the cannabis persuasions of their intended customer base: “Our brewers reached into their secret stash of mosaic cryo hop resin to create a tropical dankness in this new age IPA. Take a hit of these bright sweet fruit notes in the easy drinkin’ bubbler. You won’t want to pass this one!”

Aromatic sinsemilla flowers and hoppy beers are a marketing match made in heaven. There are so many ways to present the relationships between both plants to the modern marketplace. We will surely see many innovative business models succeed. Our future is on our doorstep!

What’s All the Fuss About?

Regulated cannabis environments generally prohibit publicly smoking otherwise legal cannabis. Consumers can buy cannabis from a licensed retailer but must take their purchase off-premises to even open the package. Most hotels, bars and restaurants do not allow smoking, or any cannabis consumption for that matter. Smoking while driving is illegal, and street consumption is certainly uncool and can result in fines. So what are honest cannabis consumers to do?

Demand for mixed consumption venues is high. In several jurisdictions, strict adult-use laws segregating consumption of food and drink from smoking of any kind are yielding to mixed consumption venues where cannabis can be purchased on site and smoked in designated areas. We believe food, alcohol and cannabis consumption will begin to occupy the same commercial spaces. Given the reservations of policy makers toward smoking, it likely will be quite some time before permits are issued for mixed consumption venues—but we already see mixed consumption at conferences and concerts where food and alcohol are served and smoking is tolerated within defined areas. Co-consumption is what consumers want, and they usually get their way. As we always say, just follow the money! As profitable co-consumption business models begin to unfold, they will rapidly gain in popularity. It will soon become increasingly important to more extensively explore and understand the synergistic relationships between Cannabis and Humulus plants and their products.

We are just now learning how the numerous aromatic compounds synthesized by Cannabis plants help shape the effects associated with various cultivars. It would be naive to assume that the terpenes in cannabis products do not interact synergistically with foods and beverages, as well. Our as yet limited understanding of the “ensemble effect” among cannabinoids, terpenes and myriad other compounds contained in Cannabis plants is already opening the door to understanding the complex chemical interplay sculpting the effects achieved by using cannabis products. Although in comparison to cannabis consumption, terpenes may play a lesser role in shaping the inebriating effects of beer drinking, it would be equally naive to assume that they exert no effect at all.

Our preferences for various cannabis and hop aromas are rooted in our associations with other plants and our previous experiences. The sustained popularity of modern, highly aromatic “loud” cannabis and the proliferation of hoppy IPAs are strong testaments to the complex role plants and their various chemical constituents play in consumers’ lives. Understanding how certain aromatic compounds potentiate, modulate and regulate the actions and effects of other active ingredients and the influences of these effects on forming individual aroma preferences presents a mountain yet to climb.

Robert C. Clarke is a freelance writer, photographer, ethnobotanist, plant breeder, textile collector and co-founder of BioAgronomics Group, specializing in smoothing the transition to a wholly legal and normalized cannabis market. info@bioagronomics.com

Mojave Richmond is the developer of many award-winning varieties such as S.A.G.E., which served as a springboard for creating many notable cultivars. Richmond is a founding member of the international consulting company BioAgronomics Group.