
This article originally appeared in the March 2018 print issue of Cannabis Business Times. To subscribe, click here.
Despite the remarkable scientific and social progress we’ve seen with cannabis in recent years, the language we use to discuss its vast and varied effects is still stuck in the past. In some ways, this disconnect between common vernacular and scientific discovery is understandable. Cannabis is uniquely complex. It defies the narrow scope of conventional “single compound, single target” pharmacology. Yet the task of resetting the language of cannabis is vital. Learning to analyze, interpret and intelligently discuss this botanical powerhouse will help ensure better experiences for longtime users and newcomers alike.
Farma, a dispensary in Portland, Ore., has proven this process can be done on a small scale. Grounded in the work of the renowned neurologist and cannabis research pioneer Dr. Ethan Russo, Farma is one dispensary paving the way to cannabis curation according to chemical composition rather than plant morphology. By aggregating and analyzing reliable lab data-that is, by focusing on chemotypes rather than folklore and strain names-dispensaries can help guide patients and consumers through a spectrum of effects that more effectively target specific needs and desired experiences.
Sound Data Begets Sound Analysis
The process of analysis begins with ensuring safe access. In Oregon, this means partnering with independent, state-accredited labs capable of testing for more than potency and primary cannabinoid content, but the full spectrum of active compounds. Other states, such as California, are in the process of developing their own testing protocols.
Without solid lab data from the start, we cannot hope to generate reliable resources and experiential predictions that help folks form a lasting, positive relationship with the plant.
Curating with Chemotypes
Not everyone coming through the doors of a dispensary will have had a pleasant experience with cannabis. Maybe this is their first time; maybe they’re gun-shy after an encounter with a strong edible; maybe they’re coming for symptomatic relief without losing clarity and functionality. But that scent! It gets them every time. It is as intoxicating as it is calming, akin to some sort of urban forest bathing experience. Yet that comforting scent belies a surprising truth: the nose knows. And it is one of our greatest tools for understanding how cannabis will interact with our individual endocannabinoid systems. (For this reason, dispensaries would benefit from allowing consumers to smell and examine the product they’re buying. Pre-packaged and sealed flower is antithetical to informed consumer judgment.)
Researchers like Dr. Russo have shown how cannabinoids and those delicious scent compounds, terpenoids, work in tandem to create, mitigate and modulate our individual responses to cannabis consumption. This is commonly known as the “Entourage Effect.” This poly-pharmaceutical phenomenon suggests that the way we experience cannabis is dictated not by the plant’s morphology (indica or sativa) or even one or two isolated compounds, but through a myriad of molecules working in conjunction with one another.
To read the full article in Cannabis Business Times' March 2018 issue, click here.
Top courtesy of Hemp Press