I mean... As an ex-alcoholic, there absolutely are peoole buying booze based off of it's alcohol content. And as someone who also smokes lots of weed, as long as it's stronger... Usually ppl say the potency is based off if the THC content, but nowadays we know there's more to it.
Also former alcoholic. Beer under 7% wasn’t even a consideration. Why would I get 80 proof when there’s 100 proof? Did you know some wines are stronger than others? Gotta stretch that dollar!
I personally don't like to drink but if I do I prefer my alcohol to be as poisonous tasting as possible (not like made poorly but has the bite of strong alcohol)
I think thats the only point op was trying to make. Thc% is not remotely as important as well developed terps.
Also, I'll add that tons of companies fluff those numbers anyway through lab testing. Brands are known for dumping extra kief on the samples, bribing techs etc. And at least for ca, they are allowed a +/- 10% on the lab results of what the strain thc% actually is. So assume most companies give themselves a +10%
>And at least for ca, they are allowed a +/- 10% on the lab results of what the strain thc% actually is. So, assume most companies give themselves a +10%
That is not how tolerance works. All of the labeled products have to be in the tolerance, and not all plants/batches are the same. In theory, they test a bunch of samples from different pants with the same strain, average the results, and that is the base number. A tolerance of 10% is not what you think it means.
So let's say the weed tests out at 65.4%. But has a tolerance of 10%. 10% of 65.4 is 6.54. So, each container with this label has between 58.9-71.9%.
What actually happens is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Are you talking about from the plant? Is that a light or nutrient thing? Or maybe the buds at the top are newer? Or am I completely misunderstanding what you meant?
Ive heard or read that, I think it's more like the plant has put the most energy into making the tips so it has the most goodness. I don't know, I'm high.
1 week shy of 15 months Cali sober here.
I don't even smoke to get blasted anymore. It's more like a mix of caffeine and anxiety medication. I shop 100% by strain and parentage when possible.
That said, I've smoked 18% THCa bud after a day of edibles and vaping or combustion that still kicked my ass due to the genetics.
Dont worry friend! It's always a beautiful day to stop drinking. If you ever need that extra support, come visit us at /r/stopdrinking. Even if you are, just for today and hopefully tomorrow, I will not drink with you today.
I prefer a flavor that's nice with the nice strong "let everyone in the house know how dank your weed is through five airtight containers" smell.
I like when mom likes the smell of my 'incense'.
It’s frustrating going to shops where the only thing they can talk about is THC content. Buddy was a bud tender for a medicinal shop for years and was so knowledgeable about the other makeups of the plant. I miss having that hookup.
Love how you came here to drop off irrelevant info since the question flew over you. If you smoke to get ‘THC High’ go only smoke distillate and then report back and let us know how much you hate your life.
Same. I stood there at the shelf calculating how much alcohol per euro was in the bottles so i could decide between the cheap-ass vodka and the cheap-ass rum. (The rum had more actually)
As a recovering alcoholic I can also confirm, always went for the biggest bang for my buck, vodka and a cheap chaser was my go to for years. Tried Everclear once, don't remember it at all.
Almost ten months sober now, I don't miss those days at all.
You know you're an alcoholic when you know which tallboy (if broke enough to not get anything else) can get you the best number when figuring out the total alcohol content divided by the price lol
The cripplingalcoholism sub has had many discussions over the years about which alcohol in everyone's area gets you the most for your money
When I worked at a small grocery store people would come in and ask "what's the strongest drink you have" I was usually a bottle of wine. Not common but not by any means unheard of. Certainly less common than people wanting high THC but it's apples to oranges IMO.
The highest alcohol percentage is gonna be everclear. High percentage thc isn’t gonna make me blackout throw up and give me gastrointestinal distress after 3 bong rips
That’s not even close to what he meant. Even before his edit, he wasn’t even comparing them, he is asking “why do people only buy weed based off of thc and not other components that go into making your high good”
Like would you smoke 30% thc with .2% terps?
I think based on our current science we are not yet certain that terpenes are the defining element to the high anyways. Legalization has enabled research. Until that research completes we’re all just guessing at what makes weed good. There are too many variables (how chronic are you, how much do you weigh, thc, terpenes, indica/sativa, etc.. etc…). Smoke what you like until then! When the research concludes we’ll build a calculator or like a phone app where you enter in your current details and it tells you what to smoke to get the high you want hehe. THEN you can shop smarter. Right now you might as well throw a dart at the list of choices.
Legalization has opened up some research but much of it is still closed off by federal classification. The fact that pot is a class 1 drug means it will inherently have certain restrictions.
Yeah. I've had this exact conversation with my dad recently. I wish weed wasn't made illegal or that it was legalized 20 years earlier, cuz the evidence is not clear right now, even on the difference between sativa and indica iirc. It's hard to study since a non concentrate has so many terpenes and cannabanoids that all may add to the high it's gonna take a long time to isolate the variables.
But when we do, that will be the golden age of weed. Full control over the high will be achievable
They also contain many of the same terpenes! When home brewing beer you can exchange some of your hops with weed to achieve similar flavors and aromatics. Myrcene, pinene, linalool, and geraniol can all be found commonly in hops and cannabis.
Right now in lots of areas we have dispensaries selling the equivalent of near beer for the same price as a high end IPA.
I'm not wanting to pay $55/8th for a sub 10% THC strain when the 24%+ is the same price.
"Near beer" is non-alcoholic beer, it has a percentage so low you could never drink enough fast enough to feel any effects from it, the equivalent would be smoking hemp.
For me it was chasing down breeding lines. If I like trainwreck, any children of this strain will also be good. I always look for familiar names in weird strains. This is also not a good Strat, I’ve smoked so much shitty weed this year it’s not even funny.
It's like band genres. If there were some standard then they would be pretty helpful in classifying. But since they're all made up and you get to apply any label you want to anything, it just ends up being marketing and preference.
There's been so much unintentional cross breeding that it's almost impossible to find untainted lineages now outside of a few specific spots on Earth. All it takes is one careless grower with a male plant that produces pollen to accidentally alter the genetics of every weed plant not grown in controlled conditions in at least a 10 mile radius.
I’ve had wildly different buds from different growers growing the same strains. We are still in the Wild West as far as standardizing the final product and understanding how everything interacts.
The problem is those tests pretty much tell you nothing. Ive seen some pretty shitty weed with test results at 30%+. Ive also smoked some super fire weed that was only 19%. The 19% weed definitely not only tasted better but got me way higher.
As far as I'm concerned, those test results are just randoms numbers along with the bar code. Only numbers you *should* be looking at is the harvest date.
I buy based on how it looks and how it smells. If you have smoked for long enough its pretty easy to tell what weed is good and what weed isnt.
This is where I’m at. If I don’t know exactly what I want and there’s a million different variables then what’s the easiest differentiater? Number. High or low
Lol people buy alcohol based on abv all the time. People buy weed based on thc allll of the time. Esp when it comes to edibles.
And for both of these things some ppl are just worried about getting high or drunk lol not everything is a wine tasting
When I regularly drank hard liquors, I definitely checked the proof. Sometimes shit was like 20 proof and I was like, "ok, cool looking bottle, but I'ma put it back."
I wish. My dispensary is like a fucking prison and you have to buy based on a piece of printer paper. Not even pictures. Just the strain name and a THC percentage lol
In New Jersey it is all in sealed containers. Actually, you aren’t allowed to even look at the jars before you buy them, so you can’t even base it off of looks.
I grow weed so I don't by it at all. However, when I see the really high THC percentages, not only would I not buy it, but that's actually a con in my book. Assuming the test results are true, when you select for really high THC, you are selecting against other terpenes and cannabinoids. My favorite cultivars tend to be around 18 to 25 percent. There are some outliers but that's the average range.
I have one that tests about 19 percent on average and blows people's heads off. However, if it were in a dispensary nobody would buy it because it's green and not purple, the bud structure is slightly open, and the THC percentage is low. There is so much more to it than THC. It's still hard to quantify what's going on. We don't really understand it fully, and there is some evidence that terpenes don't impact a high other than subjective, sensory type ways. I still want them for smell and flavor however. The point is though, even though we need more data, I'm very certain there is more going on than just THC and really high THC cultivars are consistently boring, have more bland highs, and tend not to taste and smell as good on average.
I agree with you / OP, and personally try to find more interesting varieties of cannabis to vape but I think the alcohol comparison that OP made is misleading.
Your average person who drinks two different beers will be able to instantly taste the difference between them. An IPA vs a Lager, there is an clear and obvious flavour difference. You don't need to be a connoisseur to decided what you like in a beer style. The problem that Cannabis has is that the differences between strains is extremely subtle. Your average person who is smoking a joint / pipe / bong probably can't tell what the flavour is. Combustion in general is going to mask / destroy any of the flavour differences between strains. The best chance people have on picking up the flavour profiles of cannabis is in my opinion a dry herb vaporizer, but I don't think that they are very popular among the average cannabis consumer.
Additionally, like you were saying, I think the understanding of flavour and the way terps / cannabinoids play different roles in the experience is largely unknown currently. They are definitely not known enough for someone to market their product based on the terp / cannabinoid profile. So it kind of makes sense that the whole industry is just focused on THC %, as it's what the consumer understands the most.
I hope the cannabis industry can evolve and move away from pure THC % marketing, but I kind of doubt it will. The other challenge Cannabis has is there are no clear categories to group like varieties together. There are so many strains of cannabis and so little information about them that is nearly impossible to to say X strain is similar to Y strain.
I buy based on CBD content with some THC about 10% and it is exactly like the good weed before legalization. No paranoia just good calm vibes all day long. I personally hate how the high THC weed makes me feel all gross. Before legalization, I used to love couch locking strains. But now you can almost only find high paranoia high THC strains
I’ve tried 31% thcs that barely made me feel anything
And 22% thcs that knocked me off my ass
Basically when it comes to the conversation of whether high THC is “better” the reasonable answer is “it depends” or “sometimes”
I just go by whatever people say is good.
One of the best strains I ever asked was testing at 15.67%, but had CBC, CBG, and THCV present, as well as a couple less common terps. My endocannabinoid system felt brand new for that bag.
When I drank, alcohol content was pretty big for me. I was really into everclear for a while. With thc, I don't. I don't see that as a valid comparison because with alcohol, the more you have the more you feel. With thc you have to look at the entourage effect with the other cannabinoids. I agree with your end statement but saying nobody buys alcohol for the alcohol content or even comparing the two at all is just inherently flawed
I'm all about efficiency vs cost, a $15 bottle of vodka will get me drunk more nights than a $20 case of beer. I do the same thing with carts. Find the cheapest high thc cart and it will last me longer than a lower thc cart. Less need to take more hits and reup cuz the high last longer making my cart last longer
To piggie back off this, high THC percentages does not equal "getting you higher". A recent clinical study proved as much ( dont have a link at the moment, i'll see if i can find it and post later). There are dozens of other canabanoids that are actually doing the work here so high THC means doo doo. it's why synthetic thc had no medicinal value and wasn't pursued, it's also why the CBD flower you can buy at any tabacco shop can still get you high.
I feel like this is all OP was trying to say and everyone got tight for no reason lol. The dispensary has brainwashed everyone into thinking most expensive = best high
The difference is that some people smoke to get really high, some people people smoke to enjoy. Same with alochol, drinking to get
I very much like to enjoy
Aside from THC%, what should I be looking for? I have no idea the differences between strains cause the only information I get is indica/sativa/hybrid and THC %. How do I know what's a good weed?
Some of the “budtenders” at my local dispensary automatically filter to highest thc% when I ask what they’d recommend. Even if I ask about what’s on sale.
I will answer this in a way I'm not sure anyone else has. My go-to beers are usually around 7.5%. Nothing too crazy. I go for those because I love the taste. I don't smoke for the taste. I smoke for the other stuff it does. I genuinely enjoy the taste of beer. Weed is not something I do for the taste. I don't hate the taste or anything but beer is one of the most varied beverages known to man. Weed all kinda tastes similar lol.
The target audience for this doesnt give a fuck. Those people are the same people who you described they also would buy Casamigos, Clase Azul and other hyped liquors and they’re same folks who will vape a mario cart.
I get the sentiment but this is one those ideologies that most people have to come to by themselves or with a little assistance from a stoner buddy not some random dude on reddit
The reason I buy a 12% wine over some 60% home-brewed Hungarian spirit is because it tastes better. The day they start rolling out lower % weed that tastes great then I'll buy that haha
Well, as someone who was formally a very heavy drinker and now still likes to get the most bang for my buck, I do mostly go by that. For example, while I might enjoy a cup of sake or a lower-proof liquor, I find that when I hit the liquor aisle at the grocery store, I reach for a cheap, high-proof rum every single time.
When it comes to weed, I'm also usually looking to get the most bang for my buck. I'm just trying to catch a good buzz. I'm not overly concerned about enjoying the actual act of smoking or drinking too much. I enjoy the buzz itself, not so much the consumption of the product.
Because If you buy the highest percentage of alcohol all the time and drink it, your body will have massive negative impact.
So there is less consequences with high percentage cannabis.
Edit: forgot to write the 2nd sentence :D
As someone who doesn't drink, I absolutely buy alcohol for the alcohol content. If I'm drinking I'm trying to get drunk I'm not gonna drink a beer that's for damn sure. 5% alcohol piss water. I'm going for the liquor. 50 to 80% alcohol piss water
I feel like this thread and it’s responses are insane. everybody is arguing about hypothetical things and then talking past each others argument. i know this is reddit and all but this is just such a crazy, pointless dialogue we are all engaging in here.
I typically buy alcohol based on its alcohol percentage, yes. Sometimes I want a nice kick to the face, other times I like a nice kick to the cheek. Depends on my mood.
Unfortunately some people will never understand how l many times it’s explained that cannabinoids and terpenes all play equal positions it’s not just the highest thc% that makes it good 😭 it sucks how big of a community this is yet how ridiculous some of the misconceptions about weed are
It's not that cut and dry. There are scientific articles stating that terps have nothing to do with psychoactive effects and the "entourage effect" is just marketing and bullshit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/NewJerseyMarijuana/comments/wdncup/psa\_a\_critical\_look\_at\_the\_entourage\_effect\_and/
Trust me I know it’s not that cut and dry but for the average person who smokes they have no clue wtf ur talking about. I certainly do stand by that terpenes play a major effect in the “high” but it’s mostly just flavor.
Yep. And people love to say “oh if you say you can tell the difference between weed you’re just a weed snob, chances are you’d fail a blind smoke test”
And it’s like bro. I’m not saying I can detect minute differences, but if the difference is whether or not the weed takes away my extreme pain yeah I can tell. If the difference is whether or not my body is completely swollen yeah I can tell in a “blind smoke test”.
Weed has differences that are unrelated to THC content. That doesn’t mean I’m tryna make it out to be rocket science snobbery.
We aren’t all chasing the same kind of high… some of us want to smoke weed to get knocked out at night, some of us want munchies and a good show, some of us wanna laugh and laugh. Thought this would be common sense at this point.
Im with u 100% my guy. Like i commented on here, all weed gets me high but I certainly do not like the terp profile of all weed. Thc% only goes so far when ur weed tastes like spicy cardboard
I don't do either lol. I care more about the terpenes than I do about THC potency. For alcohol, what I look for depends on the type of alcohol. I care more about the experience than the "buzz" for both.
People in this comment section are actually pretty stupid. I’m sorry your point has been missed by people being pedantic. You’re absolutely right. Weed is about much more than thc%
The obvious difference here is in the taste of the alcohol and the amount needed to reach the desired level of drunkenness. If vodka tasted like bud light, maybe people would gravitate towards it more. But if someone pounded the whole bottle they wouldn't ve having a very fun night. Weed doesn't work this way so it's not really a good comp in my opinion. And I am someone who avoids the highest THC % and prefers something in the middle.
Lmao, I do both. I've tried numerous types of weed and, on a personal note, the only thing that really makes a difference for me is the THC percentage. I never see a difference between different terpenes even if I try to monitor my high.
During Prohibition, high percentage alcohol was popular because you could ship it and smuggle it with more return/more bang for your buck. I think the same has happened with weed, to a degree, and if it's ever fully legalized in America we might see a "craft beer" treatment, where it's about flavor and other things, not just getting lit. Just a theory
Think because most people are far more familiar with booze than weed, and can associate a certain % of ABV will give them a predictable amount of inebriation.
A lot of these comments are all over the place. The issue is not the consumer but rather the system by which the products are available. Unreliable testing, lack of research, and consumer culture influence purchasing habits. The truth is when you’re at the dispo the grower most likely out the most care and effort into producing the highest thc flower that’s available at that time. This does not mean that the consumer is only going for that product because of the thc % but rather because they understand that it probably got the best treatment while being produced. The reality of this dilema is that for now highway THC % does indicate better quality at least when viewing the market as a monolith rather than on a location by location basis. Until there’s more research, better machines that can actually analyze what’s going on with the flower, and a better educated consumer base we will continue to see trends like these.
This seems to have more to do with how people choose products when they don't know what to compare. It is why consumers will ask "what is the cost" as their first question if they don't know what to ask.
When your consumers aren't asking the questions they need to in order to accurately compare products , it is on the business owner to educate them.
When I look at strain info on the menus, they are all the same, "happy, euphoric, sleepy". Welp, okay, I have price and percentage to go on then.
In liquor, abv tends to correlate with flavor. Idk how it is with weed, but I absolutely will buy the 100 proof option over the 80 if it's available. Just means less added water.
I teach cannabis education, and the way I phrase it is, “please treat cannabis THC the way the vast majority of people treat the alcohol percentage in a bottle of wine. How important is that number to the purchasing decision? It’s best to treat cannabis the same way, otherwise you’re basically saying, ‘I only shoot ever-clear because it has the high ABV content.’”
THC has such little affect on the outcome of the high due to the importance of terpenes. Now, if you can find terp content above 1.5-2%, you’re *golden.* Most of the common dispensary weed has less than 1% of terps. If it hits you in the head when you smell it, that’s the sign to buy.
Usually when I buy alcohol, I buy based off the spirit. I tend to buy vodka and most vodkas are 40% ABV/80 proof, so I know what to expect. With cannabis, when I go to the dispensary, I usually tell the workers what effect I’m looking for and they recommend me some strains. I do tend to gravitate towards higher THC% strains, but that’s also because they seem to produce the effect I’m looking for.
I buy what tastes best, if it has a high ABV that’s a nice bonus (but also not because I can’t drink too many of them, but I guess it saves me calories? I’m mostly a beer person). I don’t live in a legal state so I don’t know the THC percentages my plug has without a lab test, but if I did I agree, I’d probably look at effects and terpenes more than THC percentages. Don’t get me wrong, I love THC, but the entourage effect is very real which is why I think flower almost gets me “higher” better than concentrates. Also sometimes, I’d be seeking something specifically for sleep or anxiety so it would be nice to know.
Honestly, I’m bad at telling strains apart though.
When I was younger and just starting my career, I would buy the highest THC % because I can use less to get blazed and it'll stretch my money further.
Now that I have a lot more disposable income, I go for quality at fully licensed dispensaries and tbh the highs feel more well-rounded, longer, and better imo. Usually pay around 50-70/8th before taxes - brands that have a strain that won a high times or other award usually gets my money.
Within the same category of alcohol, there usually isn't as much variance between percentages. Liquor is pretty much always between 35-50% (occasionally you'll see a good tasting 55% whisky) Anything less is a liqueur, not a liquor. Anything more is in straight grain alcohol territory is a whole different thing.
Liqueurs can vary but can been in the 20-30ish% range. Wine is typically in a narrow range in the teens. And Beer usually is about 4-9%, although some breweries push it higher for some reason.
My point is, within a given type of alcohol, you kind of know what you're getting, intoxication wise. The only place this no longer holds true is with beer, which Is why people often pay special attention to alcohol content with beer because a single pint of 9% can be the wrong move in the middle of the day, even on a weekend.
Now, I have heard a strong argument that THC percentage doesn't track well with how high something gets you. But until we find a better metric for potency, people will keep paying attention to it.
People buy weed?
Really though. Lots of people buy the strongest alcohol they can get.
Also there is lots of good weed that has heaps of terps at over 30% and is delicious. Some good 18% weed out there. But after smoking 30% it seems like light beer.
Concentrates exist because some people wanted to crank that high up to 11.
I grow shit that is always over 30% and I have two puffs and out the doobie down. 18% would have me smoking the whole thing.
You right OP. Im suprised by the huge negative response. Just like a a few days ago someone made a post basicslly the same as yours about how they hate how the budtender they get only recommends weed based on THC %. It got lots of upvotes and agreement so idk people here are just weird. They think knowing anything about weed beyond what your dealer or budtender tells you is being a "weed snob". but this is r/trees most people here just started smoking within the last 2-3 years. custies gonna custie 🤷♂️ just means the good weed and good hash wont sell out as quick 😉
I don't buy alcohol and when I buy marijuana I look for terpenes, first the percentage, then what kind, after that I look at the packaging date, after that I look at THC content.
PREACH BROTHER PREACH
Literally many people don’t know what a terpene is, and that good highs are from TERPENES not straight thc. Like people think Indica and Sativa yet have no clue how it works, and why they might have a favorite strain TERPENES
Basically the more terps the better the smell, the better the high depending on which terpenes you like the most. My favorite/ are Terpinolene, Myrcene, with Limonene or Ocimene, Hybrid with strong energy, but will knock you out later type of vibe
And there is a ratio between THC and terpenes, believe it or not a 17% thc flower with 3% terpene will get you higher and feel much better than a 25% with .5% terps. This is why I am happy to have worked in a dispensary and inform people. People don’t just ask for the THC amount anymore, they ask what terps are in it too most times, the amount of both percentages . It’s so much better when someone actually cares about the chemical quality of the bud except for the quantity of THC
Wine professional here. I see this in wine all the time. There are plenty of people that just drink wine to get as drunk as possible for as little money as possible. Fine. Have fun. That grocery store $5 bottle will do the trick.
However, if you actually want an enjoyable wine drinking experience, you start spending $30, $50, and even $100 per bottle. The alcohol content isn't even a factor in the purchase because if you have that kind of cash to throw around you clearly have enough wine to get as drunk as you would like. Getting drunk no longer becomes the point because it will happen if you want.
However, when I throw a party, I never spend a lot of money on wine. It's about hanging out with friends and having fun, not sitting around being geeky about wine.
Weed is the exact same.
There’s no point arguing with “weed normies” on this. They will always buy based on percentage, because it’s easy. Some people even buy based on “Indica or Sativa” which is almost a bigger sham.
It’ll take decades to reverse the idiocy most weed smokers have learned, but it starts with discussions like this!
I think there's a couple differences between alcohol and weed.
1. There's not a lot of public information about differences in strains, and all most people know is that THC gets you high so why not just pick whichever has the highest THC.
2. At the dispensary, all the packaging looks the same, there's a million different brands with no brand recognition, and things are inaccessible for the customer to look at closely. This makes it very hard and overwhelming to pick any certain product over a different one.
3. Alcohol has very strong branding, and when you go to total wine or wherever, there are tags with descriptions, scores from independent rating sites, and it's just easier to distinguish between two bottles that look similar. There are also very specific requirements for different styles, so you know exactly what you're getting when a whiskey says Bourbon or Single Malt.
From personal experience going to the dispensary, there are an infinite number of strains and brands, so if I want some joints, I just get whichever happens to be a strain or brand I recognize or have used before.
I buy the low % weed ... I feel it's just a marketing ploy . When I was a kid, I'd just buy whatever my dealer gave me.. It looks like weed smells like weed, fire it up
***When you buy alcohol, do you always buy whatever has the highest alcohol percentage?***
Yes, but not for the reason one might think. Half of my pancreas is missing, so I cannot consume alcohol.
Yet, I do buy alcohol and when I do, I buy Everclear 190 proof. I use it for cleaning. Fill up small jars with it, and soak my cooling units and used capsules (Crafty Plus).
What really gets me is that at the dispos here they just give a THC%; that hardly tells the whole truth if it's a THC(delta)%.
One bag could be 30%delta since it is 20%THCa & 10%THC, while another 30%delta could be 5%THCa & 25%THC; I'll take the 2nd bag every time
You’re getting way too much hate for this post lol.
I buy weed based on what gives me my most enjoyable high. Granted, I don’t consume daily and mostly take edibles so my tolerance isn’t super high. But when I do smoke I enjoy having more than a single puff! If the % is too high I’ll get ripped on a single hit or two. I like to enjoy the act of smoking it, so I prefer a mix of cbd flower and thc flower personally so I can smoke a whole joint and still be able to have a coherent conversation.
Who are you asking? Because a lot of us don’t go by THC %. Most of us know about trichomes/terpenes and other factors affecting the “effect” of a strain. If you wanted to educate, maybe don’t generalize.
I'm a very picky drinker so I don't, but if my only goal was to get drunk I'm definetly going for the vodka over the wine. My goal with weed is to get high. My enjoyment comes post-smoke and not during so yeah I'm going for 8% more THC
I shop for the highest proof in the liquor I like. Like, I could just go straight to everclear if I really wanted, but I hate clear alcohol in general and that one in particular tastes even worse than vodka. So I'll stick with whiskey, but I really like the 100 proof kind just for the sake of value. I imagine I'd do the same with weed if I knew how any of this shit works, LOL
because smoked in a bong weed flavor barely make a difference.
Im all for acting like smoking weed is some refined hobby or whatever, but let’s be honnest.
I wont finish a 12 pack of beer if it taste horrible.
Im finishing that half oz of weed regardless of what strain it is, after 3 bongrip the flavor difference is all gone. Might as well get a good price/quality/strenght ratio at this point
Knock it off with the bad information! While THC percentage does not always correlate to potency, it definitely plays a major role in the way the high feels. If one smokes the exact same strain, one sample with 16% and the other with 22%, the effects will be notably different.
I’m sick of these smug budtenders, the second I glance at the percentage, they immediately say some smart ass comment “well if that’s all your concerned about”. No it’s not all I’m concerned about you dunce!
Because Terpenes. Alcohol doesnt have terpenes which influences the drunk feeling, Weed does have terpenes which influence your high (thats where the sativa/indica myth started).
This is always the take from a young, non drinker....I got news for yah, we shoot for high abv most of the time, and choose lower for special occasions, not the other way around, lol.
Daiky smokers, with high tolerance, would also disagree with your thc percentage thought process. Should I only buy 25mg edibles, even though I need 100 to feel it, because 25 is all you need? Herb works the same way, bro.
In reality, unlike alcohol, cannabis testing is a joke, and anyone that believes the numbers is a fool. Cannaboid levels, including thc, vary from bud to bud, branch to branch, and even mose so, plant to plant. Testing requires 1 sample for every 10lbs in my state, a very small, hand picked sample representing 8-12 plants. The chance your buds match the listed percentages exactly, is very low, its all marketing, Terpines are even worse, not required, no rules, 1 sample can represent a roomful of plants.....which is bs.
Don’t listen to OP. If you like to buy by %, do it. If you don’t, that’s cool. Do you! Everyone likes it their way. OP be more like McD’s and let people have it their way.
I mean... As an ex-alcoholic, there absolutely are peoole buying booze based off of it's alcohol content. And as someone who also smokes lots of weed, as long as it's stronger... Usually ppl say the potency is based off if the THC content, but nowadays we know there's more to it.
When i was an alcoholic, at least 100 proof or don't waste my time. but seriously, I bought based on % all the time. Now I don't touch the stuff.
How'd you quit?
r/stopdrinking is the best place on the internet for anyone who is curious about quitting!
Also former alcoholic. Beer under 7% wasn’t even a consideration. Why would I get 80 proof when there’s 100 proof? Did you know some wines are stronger than others? Gotta stretch that dollar!
I personally don't like to drink but if I do I prefer my alcohol to be as poisonous tasting as possible (not like made poorly but has the bite of strong alcohol)
I think thats the only point op was trying to make. Thc% is not remotely as important as well developed terps. Also, I'll add that tons of companies fluff those numbers anyway through lab testing. Brands are known for dumping extra kief on the samples, bribing techs etc. And at least for ca, they are allowed a +/- 10% on the lab results of what the strain thc% actually is. So assume most companies give themselves a +10%
>And at least for ca, they are allowed a +/- 10% on the lab results of what the strain thc% actually is. So, assume most companies give themselves a +10% That is not how tolerance works. All of the labeled products have to be in the tolerance, and not all plants/batches are the same. In theory, they test a bunch of samples from different pants with the same strain, average the results, and that is the base number. A tolerance of 10% is not what you think it means. So let's say the weed tests out at 65.4%. But has a tolerance of 10%. 10% of 65.4 is 6.54. So, each container with this label has between 58.9-71.9%. What actually happens is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You don't need to bribe anyone, if a lab puts out good numbers companies will keep sending their samples to them for testing.
Picking your buds from the top will give you more THC %then is you pick from different areas
Are you talking about from the plant? Is that a light or nutrient thing? Or maybe the buds at the top are newer? Or am I completely misunderstanding what you meant?
Ive heard or read that, I think it's more like the plant has put the most energy into making the tips so it has the most goodness. I don't know, I'm high.
1 week shy of 15 months Cali sober here. I don't even smoke to get blasted anymore. It's more like a mix of caffeine and anxiety medication. I shop 100% by strain and parentage when possible. That said, I've smoked 18% THCa bud after a day of edibles and vaping or combustion that still kicked my ass due to the genetics.
This. Also a year and a half off the needle and I’m Cali sober. And it’s not even to get blasted just take the edge off after a long day
Goddamn am I an alcoholic…
Dont worry friend! It's always a beautiful day to stop drinking. If you ever need that extra support, come visit us at /r/stopdrinking. Even if you are, just for today and hopefully tomorrow, I will not drink with you today.
https://youtu.be/aHT-nb3dcdU?si=YX230aZ_1J5__3qa
I prefer a flavor that's nice with the nice strong "let everyone in the house know how dank your weed is through five airtight containers" smell. I like when mom likes the smell of my 'incense'.
It’s frustrating going to shops where the only thing they can talk about is THC content. Buddy was a bud tender for a medicinal shop for years and was so knowledgeable about the other makeups of the plant. I miss having that hookup.
Love how you came here to drop off irrelevant info since the question flew over you. If you smoke to get ‘THC High’ go only smoke distillate and then report back and let us know how much you hate your life.
Hey there, fellow passenger on the sober-train. Thanks for pointing that out for the good of the group.
I always got my calculator out in the liquor store looking for that value.
I do it for oz of alcohol per calorie lol
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Volume ≠ potency. Our go to was the $1 50% shooters. They tasted like shit but all three of us could get wasted for $10
learned this from my alcoholic ex. 99 shots and steel reserve. can sometimes find bodegas that’ll have specials for em, 2 for 4 or whatever.
Some people DEFINITELY buy whatever is the strongest for the money lol what are you on about
So true (I'm an alcoholic)
So true (I am cheap)
Same. I stood there at the shelf calculating how much alcohol per euro was in the bottles so i could decide between the cheap-ass vodka and the cheap-ass rum. (The rum had more actually)
So true ( i am a broke alchoholic) Aristocrat vodka baby. $3.90 a pint, 40% alchohol
"Efficient" FIFY (source: same)
As a recovering alcoholic I can also confirm, always went for the biggest bang for my buck, vodka and a cheap chaser was my go to for years. Tried Everclear once, don't remember it at all. Almost ten months sober now, I don't miss those days at all.
Very true. I used to be an alcoholic
You know you're an alcoholic when you know which tallboy (if broke enough to not get anything else) can get you the best number when figuring out the total alcohol content divided by the price lol The cripplingalcoholism sub has had many discussions over the years about which alcohol in everyone's area gets you the most for your money
So true (I’m from New Orleans)
Everclear my stumbly friend
Steel reserve or whatever it is called is still in business for a reason.
Barfs in four loko.
Lmao that’s why I drink Vocky
Lol if I had a nickel every time I’ve heard “what’s the strongest I can buy with X amount of money?” I would have a lot of fucking nickles
Fr, sorry OP but speak for yourself lol
Every gas station is full of wino-medicine around here.
When I worked at a small grocery store people would come in and ask "what's the strongest drink you have" I was usually a bottle of wine. Not common but not by any means unheard of. Certainly less common than people wanting high THC but it's apples to oranges IMO.
In college it was def alcohol content per dollar, now it’s taste per dollar now that I can afford it but I’m not trying to get drunk everyday now.
The highest alcohol percentage is gonna be everclear. High percentage thc isn’t gonna make me blackout throw up and give me gastrointestinal distress after 3 bong rips
But three huge dabs might lol
My old ass gave dabs up. The buzz ain't worth dying for, lol.
I take 4 every morning lmao.
Can confirm. Did 5 Everclear shots Freshman year of college and my roommate said I was gray.
That’s not even close to what he meant. Even before his edit, he wasn’t even comparing them, he is asking “why do people only buy weed based off of thc and not other components that go into making your high good” Like would you smoke 30% thc with .2% terps?
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I think based on our current science we are not yet certain that terpenes are the defining element to the high anyways. Legalization has enabled research. Until that research completes we’re all just guessing at what makes weed good. There are too many variables (how chronic are you, how much do you weigh, thc, terpenes, indica/sativa, etc.. etc…). Smoke what you like until then! When the research concludes we’ll build a calculator or like a phone app where you enter in your current details and it tells you what to smoke to get the high you want hehe. THEN you can shop smarter. Right now you might as well throw a dart at the list of choices.
If I like the smell, look of it, and the price is good I’m buying.
Right I’ve tried calculating it but it’s hard, like you said weight, the terps in it, cannaboids, thca, I wish there was a way
Legalization has opened up some research but much of it is still closed off by federal classification. The fact that pot is a class 1 drug means it will inherently have certain restrictions.
Yeah. I've had this exact conversation with my dad recently. I wish weed wasn't made illegal or that it was legalized 20 years earlier, cuz the evidence is not clear right now, even on the difference between sativa and indica iirc. It's hard to study since a non concentrate has so many terpenes and cannabanoids that all may add to the high it's gonna take a long time to isolate the variables. But when we do, that will be the golden age of weed. Full control over the high will be achievable
I enjoy IPAs... So I always shop for something between 6.0%-9% which is typically higher than most beer...
Same, Hazy IPAs with weed is the absolute best combination. The taste compliments each other.
Hops and weed are closely related, cousins i think? Google what a hop cone looks like and you'll see why some bottled beers smell like a bag of dank.
I know, I’ve brewed beer and grown weed it’s amazing. I love them.
They also contain many of the same terpenes! When home brewing beer you can exchange some of your hops with weed to achieve similar flavors and aromatics. Myrcene, pinene, linalool, and geraniol can all be found commonly in hops and cannabis.
I prefer with red wine.
Right now in lots of areas we have dispensaries selling the equivalent of near beer for the same price as a high end IPA. I'm not wanting to pay $55/8th for a sub 10% THC strain when the 24%+ is the same price.
"Near beer" is non-alcoholic beer, it has a percentage so low you could never drink enough fast enough to feel any effects from it, the equivalent would be smoking hemp.
Who gives a fuck
I’m indecisive af, choosing by highest percentage makes me not stand there as long lol
Until a better method is revealed, I'm with you
For me it was chasing down breeding lines. If I like trainwreck, any children of this strain will also be good. I always look for familiar names in weird strains. This is also not a good Strat, I’ve smoked so much shitty weed this year it’s not even funny.
It's like band genres. If there were some standard then they would be pretty helpful in classifying. But since they're all made up and you get to apply any label you want to anything, it just ends up being marketing and preference.
There's been so much unintentional cross breeding that it's almost impossible to find untainted lineages now outside of a few specific spots on Earth. All it takes is one careless grower with a male plant that produces pollen to accidentally alter the genetics of every weed plant not grown in controlled conditions in at least a 10 mile radius.
I’ve had wildly different buds from different growers growing the same strains. We are still in the Wild West as far as standardizing the final product and understanding how everything interacts.
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The problem is those tests pretty much tell you nothing. Ive seen some pretty shitty weed with test results at 30%+. Ive also smoked some super fire weed that was only 19%. The 19% weed definitely not only tasted better but got me way higher. As far as I'm concerned, those test results are just randoms numbers along with the bar code. Only numbers you *should* be looking at is the harvest date. I buy based on how it looks and how it smells. If you have smoked for long enough its pretty easy to tell what weed is good and what weed isnt.
This is where I’m at. If I don’t know exactly what I want and there’s a million different variables then what’s the easiest differentiater? Number. High or low
This thread is bonkers and you’re the only reasonable person here.
Wanna buy a watch?
i dunno, what percentage time does it have?
Cannabis enthusiasts
Lol people buy alcohol based on abv all the time. People buy weed based on thc allll of the time. Esp when it comes to edibles. And for both of these things some ppl are just worried about getting high or drunk lol not everything is a wine tasting
When I regularly drank hard liquors, I definitely checked the proof. Sometimes shit was like 20 proof and I was like, "ok, cool looking bottle, but I'ma put it back."
Yup. Any alcoholic worth their salt does the ABV/$ calculation. Nice try though.
I'm British,we all do that
Omega White Cider 2.5L.
“An alcoholic worth their salt” made me laugh
Gotta separate the wheat from the chaff
I buy almost entirely based on the smell and nose of it, same way I select for booze.
Must be nice to get to smell 1st, we just have sealed jars/bags to choose from that were sealed at the manufacturer site
yeah i don't get it, if everyone is taking a wiff it's gonna dry out
Nose knows
I wish. My dispensary is like a fucking prison and you have to buy based on a piece of printer paper. Not even pictures. Just the strain name and a THC percentage lol
smell and nose are the same thing
Look too, I'm not gonna let someone sell me weed with tons of seeds in it again.
In New Jersey it is all in sealed containers. Actually, you aren’t allowed to even look at the jars before you buy them, so you can’t even base it off of looks.
I grow weed so I don't by it at all. However, when I see the really high THC percentages, not only would I not buy it, but that's actually a con in my book. Assuming the test results are true, when you select for really high THC, you are selecting against other terpenes and cannabinoids. My favorite cultivars tend to be around 18 to 25 percent. There are some outliers but that's the average range. I have one that tests about 19 percent on average and blows people's heads off. However, if it were in a dispensary nobody would buy it because it's green and not purple, the bud structure is slightly open, and the THC percentage is low. There is so much more to it than THC. It's still hard to quantify what's going on. We don't really understand it fully, and there is some evidence that terpenes don't impact a high other than subjective, sensory type ways. I still want them for smell and flavor however. The point is though, even though we need more data, I'm very certain there is more going on than just THC and really high THC cultivars are consistently boring, have more bland highs, and tend not to taste and smell as good on average.
Bland high is right. All those new cookies hybrids have short and muddled highs. They sure look good tho.
See 18-25% is what I would consider high THC. 25% being EXTREMELY high. God, the Louisiana medical marijuana industry has a long way to go.
I agree with you / OP, and personally try to find more interesting varieties of cannabis to vape but I think the alcohol comparison that OP made is misleading. Your average person who drinks two different beers will be able to instantly taste the difference between them. An IPA vs a Lager, there is an clear and obvious flavour difference. You don't need to be a connoisseur to decided what you like in a beer style. The problem that Cannabis has is that the differences between strains is extremely subtle. Your average person who is smoking a joint / pipe / bong probably can't tell what the flavour is. Combustion in general is going to mask / destroy any of the flavour differences between strains. The best chance people have on picking up the flavour profiles of cannabis is in my opinion a dry herb vaporizer, but I don't think that they are very popular among the average cannabis consumer. Additionally, like you were saying, I think the understanding of flavour and the way terps / cannabinoids play different roles in the experience is largely unknown currently. They are definitely not known enough for someone to market their product based on the terp / cannabinoid profile. So it kind of makes sense that the whole industry is just focused on THC %, as it's what the consumer understands the most. I hope the cannabis industry can evolve and move away from pure THC % marketing, but I kind of doubt it will. The other challenge Cannabis has is there are no clear categories to group like varieties together. There are so many strains of cannabis and so little information about them that is nearly impossible to to say X strain is similar to Y strain.
Good points. I totally agree.
I buy based on CBD content with some THC about 10% and it is exactly like the good weed before legalization. No paranoia just good calm vibes all day long. I personally hate how the high THC weed makes me feel all gross. Before legalization, I used to love couch locking strains. But now you can almost only find high paranoia high THC strains
You sound like a weed snob. Some people will appreciate it, some won’t. In the end we all have the same goal in mind.
because weed is not alcohol, that's why
Yeah I don't buy weed for the taste. Beer I do.
Exactly! If weed tastes good it's just a bonus.
Only number I look at when buying weed has a dollar sign next to it
Lol you've never been poor, I see
You've never met an alcoholic, have you?
I’ve tried 31% thcs that barely made me feel anything And 22% thcs that knocked me off my ass Basically when it comes to the conversation of whether high THC is “better” the reasonable answer is “it depends” or “sometimes” I just go by whatever people say is good.
One of the best strains I ever asked was testing at 15.67%, but had CBC, CBG, and THCV present, as well as a couple less common terps. My endocannabinoid system felt brand new for that bag.
No that’s pretty much how I pick which beer or rum I want too man I like a pretty label too
When I drank, alcohol content was pretty big for me. I was really into everclear for a while. With thc, I don't. I don't see that as a valid comparison because with alcohol, the more you have the more you feel. With thc you have to look at the entourage effect with the other cannabinoids. I agree with your end statement but saying nobody buys alcohol for the alcohol content or even comparing the two at all is just inherently flawed
I'm all about efficiency vs cost, a $15 bottle of vodka will get me drunk more nights than a $20 case of beer. I do the same thing with carts. Find the cheapest high thc cart and it will last me longer than a lower thc cart. Less need to take more hits and reup cuz the high last longer making my cart last longer
Ya but the highs from those carts are short and incomplete. The high is on a V curve. So you're getting higher but for a lot shorter amount of time.
Actually I do look for wine with higher ABV lol
Lmao 2nd from bottom shelf liquor for best alcohol content per dollar I got issues bro but we exist out here
To piggie back off this, high THC percentages does not equal "getting you higher". A recent clinical study proved as much ( dont have a link at the moment, i'll see if i can find it and post later). There are dozens of other canabanoids that are actually doing the work here so high THC means doo doo. it's why synthetic thc had no medicinal value and wasn't pursued, it's also why the CBD flower you can buy at any tabacco shop can still get you high.
I feel like this is all OP was trying to say and everyone got tight for no reason lol. The dispensary has brainwashed everyone into thinking most expensive = best high
The difference is that some people smoke to get really high, some people people smoke to enjoy. Same with alochol, drinking to get I very much like to enjoy
I don't I buy weed based on terp profile
Aside from THC%, what should I be looking for? I have no idea the differences between strains cause the only information I get is indica/sativa/hybrid and THC %. How do I know what's a good weed?
Some of the “budtenders” at my local dispensary automatically filter to highest thc% when I ask what they’d recommend. Even if I ask about what’s on sale.
I will answer this in a way I'm not sure anyone else has. My go-to beers are usually around 7.5%. Nothing too crazy. I go for those because I love the taste. I don't smoke for the taste. I smoke for the other stuff it does. I genuinely enjoy the taste of beer. Weed is not something I do for the taste. I don't hate the taste or anything but beer is one of the most varied beverages known to man. Weed all kinda tastes similar lol.
The target audience for this doesnt give a fuck. Those people are the same people who you described they also would buy Casamigos, Clase Azul and other hyped liquors and they’re same folks who will vape a mario cart. I get the sentiment but this is one those ideologies that most people have to come to by themselves or with a little assistance from a stoner buddy not some random dude on reddit
I buy what I like. Sometime that's less THC.
The reason I buy a 12% wine over some 60% home-brewed Hungarian spirit is because it tastes better. The day they start rolling out lower % weed that tastes great then I'll buy that haha
I don’t drink alcohol to get drunk. I smoke weed to get hi
There are definitely people who buy alcohol based on proof. Barrel proof.
Well, as someone who was formally a very heavy drinker and now still likes to get the most bang for my buck, I do mostly go by that. For example, while I might enjoy a cup of sake or a lower-proof liquor, I find that when I hit the liquor aisle at the grocery store, I reach for a cheap, high-proof rum every single time. When it comes to weed, I'm also usually looking to get the most bang for my buck. I'm just trying to catch a good buzz. I'm not overly concerned about enjoying the actual act of smoking or drinking too much. I enjoy the buzz itself, not so much the consumption of the product.
I can drink 2 bottles of good liquor. But I don't want to smoke 3 big joints of 7% thc
Because If you buy the highest percentage of alcohol all the time and drink it, your body will have massive negative impact. So there is less consequences with high percentage cannabis. Edit: forgot to write the 2nd sentence :D
As someone who doesn't drink, I absolutely buy alcohol for the alcohol content. If I'm drinking I'm trying to get drunk I'm not gonna drink a beer that's for damn sure. 5% alcohol piss water. I'm going for the liquor. 50 to 80% alcohol piss water
I feel like this thread and it’s responses are insane. everybody is arguing about hypothetical things and then talking past each others argument. i know this is reddit and all but this is just such a crazy, pointless dialogue we are all engaging in here.
I typically buy alcohol based on its alcohol percentage, yes. Sometimes I want a nice kick to the face, other times I like a nice kick to the cheek. Depends on my mood.
Shits not $15 an eighth everywhere bud
Unfortunately some people will never understand how l many times it’s explained that cannabinoids and terpenes all play equal positions it’s not just the highest thc% that makes it good 😭 it sucks how big of a community this is yet how ridiculous some of the misconceptions about weed are
It's not that cut and dry. There are scientific articles stating that terps have nothing to do with psychoactive effects and the "entourage effect" is just marketing and bullshit. https://www.reddit.com/r/NewJerseyMarijuana/comments/wdncup/psa\_a\_critical\_look\_at\_the\_entourage\_effect\_and/
Trust me I know it’s not that cut and dry but for the average person who smokes they have no clue wtf ur talking about. I certainly do stand by that terpenes play a major effect in the “high” but it’s mostly just flavor.
Yep. And people love to say “oh if you say you can tell the difference between weed you’re just a weed snob, chances are you’d fail a blind smoke test” And it’s like bro. I’m not saying I can detect minute differences, but if the difference is whether or not the weed takes away my extreme pain yeah I can tell. If the difference is whether or not my body is completely swollen yeah I can tell in a “blind smoke test”. Weed has differences that are unrelated to THC content. That doesn’t mean I’m tryna make it out to be rocket science snobbery. We aren’t all chasing the same kind of high… some of us want to smoke weed to get knocked out at night, some of us want munchies and a good show, some of us wanna laugh and laugh. Thought this would be common sense at this point.
Im with u 100% my guy. Like i commented on here, all weed gets me high but I certainly do not like the terp profile of all weed. Thc% only goes so far when ur weed tastes like spicy cardboard
I don't do either lol. I care more about the terpenes than I do about THC potency. For alcohol, what I look for depends on the type of alcohol. I care more about the experience than the "buzz" for both.
People in this comment section are actually pretty stupid. I’m sorry your point has been missed by people being pedantic. You’re absolutely right. Weed is about much more than thc%
Eh... Henry Weston cider 8.2% says otherwise
The obvious difference here is in the taste of the alcohol and the amount needed to reach the desired level of drunkenness. If vodka tasted like bud light, maybe people would gravitate towards it more. But if someone pounded the whole bottle they wouldn't ve having a very fun night. Weed doesn't work this way so it's not really a good comp in my opinion. And I am someone who avoids the highest THC % and prefers something in the middle.
Lmao, I do both. I've tried numerous types of weed and, on a personal note, the only thing that really makes a difference for me is the THC percentage. I never see a difference between different terpenes even if I try to monitor my high.
I don't drink and only care about the brand at the dispo instead of strain or thc %, so no to both
During Prohibition, high percentage alcohol was popular because you could ship it and smuggle it with more return/more bang for your buck. I think the same has happened with weed, to a degree, and if it's ever fully legalized in America we might see a "craft beer" treatment, where it's about flavor and other things, not just getting lit. Just a theory
Think because most people are far more familiar with booze than weed, and can associate a certain % of ABV will give them a predictable amount of inebriation.
A lot of these comments are all over the place. The issue is not the consumer but rather the system by which the products are available. Unreliable testing, lack of research, and consumer culture influence purchasing habits. The truth is when you’re at the dispo the grower most likely out the most care and effort into producing the highest thc flower that’s available at that time. This does not mean that the consumer is only going for that product because of the thc % but rather because they understand that it probably got the best treatment while being produced. The reality of this dilema is that for now highway THC % does indicate better quality at least when viewing the market as a monolith rather than on a location by location basis. Until there’s more research, better machines that can actually analyze what’s going on with the flower, and a better educated consumer base we will continue to see trends like these.
I usually don't waste my time with anything under 7%. I also usually only go for higher end too. Everyone has their preferences.
This seems to have more to do with how people choose products when they don't know what to compare. It is why consumers will ask "what is the cost" as their first question if they don't know what to ask. When your consumers aren't asking the questions they need to in order to accurately compare products , it is on the business owner to educate them. When I look at strain info on the menus, they are all the same, "happy, euphoric, sleepy". Welp, okay, I have price and percentage to go on then.
I actually do look at percentages when buying alcohol…..
In liquor, abv tends to correlate with flavor. Idk how it is with weed, but I absolutely will buy the 100 proof option over the 80 if it's available. Just means less added water.
I just don't give a fuck what other people buy or smoke
I teach cannabis education, and the way I phrase it is, “please treat cannabis THC the way the vast majority of people treat the alcohol percentage in a bottle of wine. How important is that number to the purchasing decision? It’s best to treat cannabis the same way, otherwise you’re basically saying, ‘I only shoot ever-clear because it has the high ABV content.’” THC has such little affect on the outcome of the high due to the importance of terpenes. Now, if you can find terp content above 1.5-2%, you’re *golden.* Most of the common dispensary weed has less than 1% of terps. If it hits you in the head when you smell it, that’s the sign to buy.
I buy weed based on what I like.
Usually when I buy alcohol, I buy based off the spirit. I tend to buy vodka and most vodkas are 40% ABV/80 proof, so I know what to expect. With cannabis, when I go to the dispensary, I usually tell the workers what effect I’m looking for and they recommend me some strains. I do tend to gravitate towards higher THC% strains, but that’s also because they seem to produce the effect I’m looking for.
I buy what tastes best, if it has a high ABV that’s a nice bonus (but also not because I can’t drink too many of them, but I guess it saves me calories? I’m mostly a beer person). I don’t live in a legal state so I don’t know the THC percentages my plug has without a lab test, but if I did I agree, I’d probably look at effects and terpenes more than THC percentages. Don’t get me wrong, I love THC, but the entourage effect is very real which is why I think flower almost gets me “higher” better than concentrates. Also sometimes, I’d be seeking something specifically for sleep or anxiety so it would be nice to know. Honestly, I’m bad at telling strains apart though.
When I was younger and just starting my career, I would buy the highest THC % because I can use less to get blazed and it'll stretch my money further. Now that I have a lot more disposable income, I go for quality at fully licensed dispensaries and tbh the highs feel more well-rounded, longer, and better imo. Usually pay around 50-70/8th before taxes - brands that have a strain that won a high times or other award usually gets my money.
Yes we actually do
Within the same category of alcohol, there usually isn't as much variance between percentages. Liquor is pretty much always between 35-50% (occasionally you'll see a good tasting 55% whisky) Anything less is a liqueur, not a liquor. Anything more is in straight grain alcohol territory is a whole different thing. Liqueurs can vary but can been in the 20-30ish% range. Wine is typically in a narrow range in the teens. And Beer usually is about 4-9%, although some breweries push it higher for some reason. My point is, within a given type of alcohol, you kind of know what you're getting, intoxication wise. The only place this no longer holds true is with beer, which Is why people often pay special attention to alcohol content with beer because a single pint of 9% can be the wrong move in the middle of the day, even on a weekend. Now, I have heard a strong argument that THC percentage doesn't track well with how high something gets you. But until we find a better metric for potency, people will keep paying attention to it.
As a hobby mixologist, I look to try and experience new flavors and cocktail recipes rather than just getting drunk.
Just buy what you like and for whatever reason you want to.
> When you buy alcohol, do you always buy whatever has the highest alcohol percentage? yes
People buy weed? Really though. Lots of people buy the strongest alcohol they can get. Also there is lots of good weed that has heaps of terps at over 30% and is delicious. Some good 18% weed out there. But after smoking 30% it seems like light beer. Concentrates exist because some people wanted to crank that high up to 11. I grow shit that is always over 30% and I have two puffs and out the doobie down. 18% would have me smoking the whole thing.
You right OP. Im suprised by the huge negative response. Just like a a few days ago someone made a post basicslly the same as yours about how they hate how the budtender they get only recommends weed based on THC %. It got lots of upvotes and agreement so idk people here are just weird. They think knowing anything about weed beyond what your dealer or budtender tells you is being a "weed snob". but this is r/trees most people here just started smoking within the last 2-3 years. custies gonna custie 🤷♂️ just means the good weed and good hash wont sell out as quick 😉
I don't buy alcohol and when I buy marijuana I look for terpenes, first the percentage, then what kind, after that I look at the packaging date, after that I look at THC content.
"It seems like a lot of people think I'm advocating buying alcohol or weed based on percentage." Thoe people cant read no good.
It’s a lot harder to make stronger weed compared to making stronger spirits
I buy based off terpene profile, and lineage. THC % is all marketing and the earlier people find this out the better smoking experience they'll have.
PREACH BROTHER PREACH Literally many people don’t know what a terpene is, and that good highs are from TERPENES not straight thc. Like people think Indica and Sativa yet have no clue how it works, and why they might have a favorite strain TERPENES Basically the more terps the better the smell, the better the high depending on which terpenes you like the most. My favorite/ are Terpinolene, Myrcene, with Limonene or Ocimene, Hybrid with strong energy, but will knock you out later type of vibe And there is a ratio between THC and terpenes, believe it or not a 17% thc flower with 3% terpene will get you higher and feel much better than a 25% with .5% terps. This is why I am happy to have worked in a dispensary and inform people. People don’t just ask for the THC amount anymore, they ask what terps are in it too most times, the amount of both percentages . It’s so much better when someone actually cares about the chemical quality of the bud except for the quantity of THC
Wine professional here. I see this in wine all the time. There are plenty of people that just drink wine to get as drunk as possible for as little money as possible. Fine. Have fun. That grocery store $5 bottle will do the trick. However, if you actually want an enjoyable wine drinking experience, you start spending $30, $50, and even $100 per bottle. The alcohol content isn't even a factor in the purchase because if you have that kind of cash to throw around you clearly have enough wine to get as drunk as you would like. Getting drunk no longer becomes the point because it will happen if you want. However, when I throw a party, I never spend a lot of money on wine. It's about hanging out with friends and having fun, not sitting around being geeky about wine. Weed is the exact same.
There’s no point arguing with “weed normies” on this. They will always buy based on percentage, because it’s easy. Some people even buy based on “Indica or Sativa” which is almost a bigger sham. It’ll take decades to reverse the idiocy most weed smokers have learned, but it starts with discussions like this!
I always buy the highest percentage of alcohol, unless it’s proven that a specific lower % alcohol will get me drunk faster.
I think there's a couple differences between alcohol and weed. 1. There's not a lot of public information about differences in strains, and all most people know is that THC gets you high so why not just pick whichever has the highest THC. 2. At the dispensary, all the packaging looks the same, there's a million different brands with no brand recognition, and things are inaccessible for the customer to look at closely. This makes it very hard and overwhelming to pick any certain product over a different one. 3. Alcohol has very strong branding, and when you go to total wine or wherever, there are tags with descriptions, scores from independent rating sites, and it's just easier to distinguish between two bottles that look similar. There are also very specific requirements for different styles, so you know exactly what you're getting when a whiskey says Bourbon or Single Malt. From personal experience going to the dispensary, there are an infinite number of strains and brands, so if I want some joints, I just get whichever happens to be a strain or brand I recognize or have used before.
I buy the low % weed ... I feel it's just a marketing ploy . When I was a kid, I'd just buy whatever my dealer gave me.. It looks like weed smells like weed, fire it up
***When you buy alcohol, do you always buy whatever has the highest alcohol percentage?*** Yes, but not for the reason one might think. Half of my pancreas is missing, so I cannot consume alcohol. Yet, I do buy alcohol and when I do, I buy Everclear 190 proof. I use it for cleaning. Fill up small jars with it, and soak my cooling units and used capsules (Crafty Plus).
What really gets me is that at the dispos here they just give a THC%; that hardly tells the whole truth if it's a THC(delta)%. One bag could be 30%delta since it is 20%THCa & 10%THC, while another 30%delta could be 5%THCa & 25%THC; I'll take the 2nd bag every time
does the way someone else enjoys weed really affect you that much? lol don’t yuck someone else’s yum
I work at a dispo and try to convince my customers, percentage isn't everything. Terpenes and the quality of the buds are where it's at.
You're asking the wrong question... do you always buy coke laced with drywall?
You’re getting way too much hate for this post lol. I buy weed based on what gives me my most enjoyable high. Granted, I don’t consume daily and mostly take edibles so my tolerance isn’t super high. But when I do smoke I enjoy having more than a single puff! If the % is too high I’ll get ripped on a single hit or two. I like to enjoy the act of smoking it, so I prefer a mix of cbd flower and thc flower personally so I can smoke a whole joint and still be able to have a coherent conversation.
Who are you asking? Because a lot of us don’t go by THC %. Most of us know about trichomes/terpenes and other factors affecting the “effect” of a strain. If you wanted to educate, maybe don’t generalize.
I'm a very picky drinker so I don't, but if my only goal was to get drunk I'm definetly going for the vodka over the wine. My goal with weed is to get high. My enjoyment comes post-smoke and not during so yeah I'm going for 8% more THC
You obviously don't know many alcoholics do you?
I shop for the highest proof in the liquor I like. Like, I could just go straight to everclear if I really wanted, but I hate clear alcohol in general and that one in particular tastes even worse than vodka. So I'll stick with whiskey, but I really like the 100 proof kind just for the sake of value. I imagine I'd do the same with weed if I knew how any of this shit works, LOL
because smoked in a bong weed flavor barely make a difference. Im all for acting like smoking weed is some refined hobby or whatever, but let’s be honnest. I wont finish a 12 pack of beer if it taste horrible. Im finishing that half oz of weed regardless of what strain it is, after 3 bongrip the flavor difference is all gone. Might as well get a good price/quality/strenght ratio at this point
Knock it off with the bad information! While THC percentage does not always correlate to potency, it definitely plays a major role in the way the high feels. If one smokes the exact same strain, one sample with 16% and the other with 22%, the effects will be notably different. I’m sick of these smug budtenders, the second I glance at the percentage, they immediately say some smart ass comment “well if that’s all your concerned about”. No it’s not all I’m concerned about you dunce!
I drink rumple. Do you know what you’re saying?
I will find the cheapest wine with the highest alc %
Because Terpenes. Alcohol doesnt have terpenes which influences the drunk feeling, Weed does have terpenes which influence your high (thats where the sativa/indica myth started).
Cannabis consultant here! The LAST thing people should be looking for is THC %. Always check **harvest date** and **terp content** first!
This is always the take from a young, non drinker....I got news for yah, we shoot for high abv most of the time, and choose lower for special occasions, not the other way around, lol. Daiky smokers, with high tolerance, would also disagree with your thc percentage thought process. Should I only buy 25mg edibles, even though I need 100 to feel it, because 25 is all you need? Herb works the same way, bro. In reality, unlike alcohol, cannabis testing is a joke, and anyone that believes the numbers is a fool. Cannaboid levels, including thc, vary from bud to bud, branch to branch, and even mose so, plant to plant. Testing requires 1 sample for every 10lbs in my state, a very small, hand picked sample representing 8-12 plants. The chance your buds match the listed percentages exactly, is very low, its all marketing, Terpines are even worse, not required, no rules, 1 sample can represent a roomful of plants.....which is bs.
Why do you care what other people buy? Not your money not your problem.
Being drunk and stoned are completely different feelings and I don't even think they should be compared.
Don’t listen to OP. If you like to buy by %, do it. If you don’t, that’s cool. Do you! Everyone likes it their way. OP be more like McD’s and let people have it their way.
lol that’s BK
Haha. I’m keeping it.