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It’s testing instances for hashish! A head hashish tester job is up for grabs, and we present you the way to assess, classify and take a look at your summer time stash of hashish, this week on 95bFM’s Marijuana Media with Chris Fowlie from NORML and Jonny from bFM Drive. It’s the final present of the yr – due to The Hempstore!
[Stream the pot-cast on 95bFM.com] [RSS feed for podcast apps] [download mp3]
Wished: Head hashish tester
South Island medical hashish firm Aether Pacific Prescription drugs (previously Medical Kiwi) – who had a stall at Auckland J Day lately, and can quickly start a trial of hashish in relaxation houses for ache and sleep – wish to rent a “head hashish tester”.
Their advert on Search says the full-time high quality management place pays $55/hour and, in accordance a report within the Herald, the corporate says the job is “fairly scientific”.
An article within the Herald final Monday requested: “Are you a budding scientist? May you make this function your personal?” The job attrached 700 candidates in 48 hours after being posted on-line, however no inhaling is concerned.
Showing on Newshub’s AM present in a room of hashish crops, Medical Kiwi’s World Relations Supervisor Jason Whitelaw mentioned “It’s definitely not a smoking place”. Maybe the profitable applicant would make use of a “metabiophysical assay” (i.e. sniffing it).
So why would an organization want a hashish tester? For cultivators an individual with an distinctive nostril may very well be helpful trying to find phenotypes of recent strains that may be extra desired by sufferers and in export makets; they may very well be assessing product samples earlier than investing funds in stock that will or could not promote; metabiophysical assays are cheaper and faster than lab checks; and naturally there’s the free publicity. Aether Pacific is at present enterprise a capital increase.
Medical hashish gross sales
Figures launched below the Official Info Act to Rua Biosciences, and obtained by Marijuana Media, present New Zealand imported a complete of 1329 kg of medicinal hashish flower from 1 Jan 2022 to 30 September 2023.
The Herald inventory takes final week reported Rua is “exploring various provide partnerships” after Aussie’s Cann Group gave 12 months’ discover to terminate its contract to supply Rua-branded flower. Exhibiting the significance of testing and high quality management, Rua mentioned there had been “latest high quality points with Cann’s export merchandise.”
For producers the testing and assessing of hashish, particularly medication, requires costly lab checks for lively elements, shelf life and stability, and contaminants equivalent to heavy metals, microbes and pesticides (I co-authored a paper about it, right here).
For customers it’s extra about sniffing and taking a look at hashish samples and going by pressure names and proposals of the supplier. However right here in New Zealand we now have illicit marketplace for grownup use and a extremely regulated marketplace for medical which prohibits advertising and marketing and drastically inhibits the sharing of knowledge. Sufferers are informed solely the degrees of THC and CBD and a few often-meaningless product title.
Not surprisingly, there’s a whole lot of confusion our there. Like, what pressure is Dune or Arroyo? Is “GG4” an abbreviation of Gorilla Glue, and what’s that anyway? And why does it matter?
Categorising hashish
A brand new hashish classification system guarantees to finish the confusion and make pressure choice simpler for sufferers and customers. Pressure names are an extremely efficient advertising and marketing instrument, however they don’t do a lot to assist folks discern how any given product will have an effect on them. Even the phrases indica and sativa are problematic and misunderstood.
Hashish just isn’t binary. Quick doesn’t imply indica, slim leaves don’t essentially imply it’s a sativa, and the THC degree doesn’t inform you all the pieces. It’s now thought all hashish is sativa, and among the many drug varieties are hashish sativa subsp indica, americana, chinensis, and maybe others, with European hemp being hashish sativa sativa.
They’ll all be excessive in THC or low in THC, and excessive or low in different cannabinoids or different helpful compounds equivalent to terpenes – and it’s these ranges and ratios which decide the usefulness of any given pattern.
That’s why a so-called Sativa and a so-called Indica can each be excessive in THC however have vastly completely different results (It’s additionally why some sufferers report that imported medicinal hashish merchandise which have been irradiated and have decrease ranges of terpenes go away them feeling unhappy.
So science got here up with Kind I, II, III, IV and V hashish. The idea was launched in a 1973 paper by Ernest Small and H.D. Beckstead printed in Nature:
Kind I – THC-dominant with a focus of >0.3% and CBD content material of <0.5%.
Kind II – a combined ratio profile with CBD and THC in various average concentrations.
Kind III – CBD-dominant with low THC content material that gives little to no intoxication.
Kind IV – low ranges of THC however with potent percentages of CBGA (cannabigerol-acid).
Kind IV – little to no cannabinoid content material (cannabinoid-null or -zero).
Nonetheless, “I’ll have some Kind I, thanks” doesn’t distinguish between the 1000’s of excessive THC strains, terpene profiles or entourage results.
Earlier this yr, researchers on the College of New Mexico mentioned they’d developed a brand new system for labelling hashish flower, which they are saying is extra helpful to customers than counting on pressure names or business labels.
The Vigil Index of Hashish Chemovars (VICC) is a four-character chemovar code that broadly describes the first and secondary terpene ranges, in addition to THC and CBD ranges, in a pattern of hashish flower.
The index code for a chemovar containing excessive ranges of terpinolene, decrease ranges of limonene, 20% THC and no CBD could be “T+L60”. Clearly!
This sophisticated, convoluted system is okay for pot geeks like me however for most individuals it will be subsequent to ineffective.
So, I believe we should always flip to the Emerald Cup Hashish Classification System based mostly on PhytoFacts powered by SC Labs. It’s a long-winded title for a brand new, commonsense system.
Launched for the 2022 competitors, it strikes away from the fixation with THC and extra in direction of how legacy growers and customers already describe hashish within the methods they use it.
That’s the sniff take a look at. Merchandise are categorised based mostly on the dominant terpenes.
The six classifications are, so as of recognition:
Desserts
“That is the place all of your Runtz, Gelatos, GSC, Sherberts, Biscottis, Marriage ceremony Truffles and different hit strains are likely to reside”, based on Leafly. These sought-after flavours are of desserts, doughs, citrus and spice. They’re loud, stimulating, racy, uplifting, comforting. Dominant terpenes are caryophyllene and limonene. Typically mentioned to be zaza (uncommon & unique) however this class is now 50% or extra of dispensary gross sales in authorized locations, so not that unique.
OGs + Gasoline
Varietals equivalent to OG Kush, Chemdog, Bitter Diesel, Gorilla Glue, typically termed as ‘Hybrids’. Like throwback hip hop, in style again within the day. You’ll be able to’t go flawed with Kush and Sours. Flavours are gasoline, gas, candy, citrus, and pepper. With dominant terpenes caryophyllene, limonene and myrcene the consequences are uplifting, stimulating, analgesia and leisure. Now 20% of gross sales in authorized markets.
Sweets + Desires
This group contains Blue Dream, Tangie, Grandaddy Purps, Purple Urkel & Grape Ape, normally regarded as Indicas. Tremendous in style within the 2010’s. Tasting notes are fruity, candy, woody, hoppy, herbaceous. With dominant terpenes of myrcene, pinene and caryophyllene, the consequences are leisure, sofa lock, ache aid. The R&B of weed, based on Leafly, for when “it’s time to chill out after an extended day, or cuddle shut together with your vital different”. 15% of gross sales in authorized locations this yr.
Tropical + Floral
A “bunch of bizarre sativas”, based on Leafly, equivalent to Tremendous Skunk, Hawaiian, Mango, Inexperienced Crack, Dutch Deal with and Dream Queen. Candy, floral, tropical fruit tastes and calming, soothing and stress-free results from the defining terpenes ocimene and myrcene. Leafly says if this was a music style, it will be EDM. 10% of the market in authorized locations.
Jacks + Haze
These are so-called ‘Sativas’ equivalent to Trainwreck, Jack Herer, Durban Poison, Tremendous Lemon Haze. Leafly calls these “your basic Dad Rock strains” Usually energizing, cerebral and artistically inspiring, the tasting notes are fruity, pinesol, haze coming from terpenes like terpinolene, caryophyllene and myrcene. In keeping with Leafly this class is “house to the one true sativa strains left in existence. Defend the classics!” These account for simply 5% of gross sales in authorized locations.
Exotics (Uncommon Terpene Combos)
These are true ‘Hybrid’ varietals, “the actual weirdos of the membership”, that is weed excessive in farnecene, borniol, geraniol, trans-nerolidol, humulene, carene, valencene, and eucalyptol. Below 1% of gross sales – if any, in any respect.
Oswald et at – Determine 5 Schematic highlighting key risky compounds that produce particular aromas in hashish
However wait. A brand new examine has discovered terpenes aren’t all they’re mentioned to be, discovering different minor, nonterpenoid risky compounds drive the aroma variations of unique hashish. We might have a brand new classification system!
Working from 2006 to 2012, the Auckland Hashish Cups had been judged on Scent, Appears to be like, Flavour and Impact. We inspired judges to slim their choice by first contemplating aroma, look and texture earlier than transferring on to really making an attempt any. I gave judges the next steerage:
Judging and Inspecting High quality Hashish
The next checks could also be used to objectively decide and examine strains of marijuana with out essentially getting excessive. In the end, the choice is yours as a very powerful standards are completely subjective – the efficiency of the hash or marijuana, and the character of its results. Take pleasure in!
Trichomes: Use a loupe or magnifying glass to rely and evaluate the ‘crystals’. What quantity of stalks even have gland heads? Examine the size of trichome stalks vs. measurement of gland head. Sativas have extra & smaller trichomes, indicas have fewer, bigger trichomes. Smaller (youthful) trichomes have proportionally extra THC:CBD than bigger (older) trichomes on the identical plant
Scent/style Crush or use a grinder to disclose the true scent. 4 essential scent teams:
Candy – floral, fruity (berry, citrus), minty (menthol), candy (vanilla, bubblegum)
Spicy – woody (sage, pine, incense), seasonings (pepper, clove, basil), chocolate
Musky – earthy (loam, grime, musty, dusty), hay, leaves, animal (gamey, skunky)
Chemical/astringent – solvents, metallic, ammonia, bleach, and many others
Color Sativas are extra inexperienced / brown, indicas have extra colors
Burn it! Ought to have white smoke & ash, and it ought to preserve burning. Ash must be easy. Crackling or arduous black ash can imply chemical residues.
As all the time, belief your nostril (use a flavour wheel to assist describe the notes, like wine tasting). If that is all a bit a lot, preserve it easy with the outdated Sativa-Indica binary. It describes the consequences (up or down) even when it’s not botanically appropriate.
Developing:
The Hempstore First Thursdays Double Kirihimete Particular: on Thurs twenty first December at The Hempstore we now have SANG Band reside and free Terp & Co tastings!
See you subsequent yr! This was the final Marijuana Media present for 2023. We’ll be again in mid-January.
Marijuana Media airs each Thursday at 4:20pm on 95bFM, together with your hosts bFM Drive’s Jonny and Chris Fowlie from The Hempstore. Stream or obtain the pot-cast for this present right here or a whole lot of earlier Marijuana Media exhibits at 95bFM.com (or by way of iTunes / RSS feed). Because of The Hemp Retailer!
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