Testing Pot for THC Content

I went to a Hemp Con in San Jose at the end of January and there were some folks there who were selling Marijuana test kits. They said the kit ($90) would allow you to see how much THC was in the weed and to see if there were any impurities. I was wondering if anyone had purchased this type of kit or a similar kit and if it was legit.

I have my doubts about the THC % given for various weeds at Harborside and other dispensaries and in seed catalogs. Some of the strains claim to be 25% to more than 35% THC. It is hard to believe that if I took a pound of White Widow that they claim to be 25% THC and processed it so I had just the pure THC that I would have any where near 1/4 pound. I was wondering if someone could explain exactly what they mean when they say 25% THC. Are they talking about the THC in the resin, the THC in the entire plant, are the other parts of the plant that get you high besides the THC included in this percentage?

Anyway the kit at the Hemp Con was like a bottle with test strips. You would look at the test strip and it would leave marks that look like a Rorschact (sp?) test that you need to interpet with a color gague. I am not sure of any more of the details.

hhmmmm interesting i want one of those, just gonna browse the web to find out whether they work

To be honest I am not that good at finding what I want out on the web. If you find some good information about testing please update this thread.

I would still like to know what they mean when they say 25% THC.

harberside sends all genetics to the same qualifier Testing facility) i thimk its like 90 bucks to have a gram annalized!

I found a card in my bag from Hemmp Con that I believe was from the test folks. However when I go to the site www.capstoneanalytical.com listed on the business card I can't find any information on Marijuana test kits or anything of that nature. I admit I am not that good at finding exactly what I want on the internet so if someone else can find the location of this information please put the link in this thread.

There was an email address on the card and I have emailed that person and will let you if I am able to get more information that way.

With all the discussions concerning carcinogens and the burning of cannabis, it makes me wonder if a study has been done on the difference in carcinogen content between hashish and unrefined, raw dried bud material. :confused:

I would wager that hashish is better to smoke then raw bud. Less plant material, more medicinal quality medicine with THC/CBD, etc. :twocents:

I use organic soil, Bhudda grow and Bhudda Bud which are supposed to be organic as well. So I believe my leaves don't contain a bunch of extra chemicals. Most legitimate studies (there are very few) show that smoking pot is not near as bad a carcinogen as cigarettes and that smoking pot does not lead to enphyzema as tobacco can.

There is obvously something to be said for not smoking more than may be necessary to get high. If you are really worried about it you would only use a vaporizer to smoke. That is obviously not realistic for heading out to the woods and enjoy a doob while taking in the view. They make funky vapor pipes but it definitely does not compare to a volcano or other quality vapor machine which is not really portable.

You do bring up a good point that I had never thought of.

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Originally Posted by rudy2010

I went to a Hemp Con in San Jose at the end of January and there were some folks there who were selling Marijuana test kits. They said the kit ($90) would allow you to see how much THC was in the weed and to see if there were any impurities. I was wondering if anyone had purchased this type of kit or a similar kit and if it was legit.

I have my doubts about the THC % given for various weeds at Harborside and other dispensaries and in seed catalogs. Some of the strains claim to be 25% to more than 35% THC. It is hard to believe that if I took a pound of White Widow that they claim to be 25% THC and processed it so I had just the pure THC that I would have any where near 1/4 pound. I was wondering if someone could explain exactly what they mean when they say 25% THC. Are they talking about the THC in the resin, the THC in the entire plant, are the other parts of the plant that get you high besides the THC included in this percentage?

Anyway the kit at the Hemp Con was like a bottle with test strips. You would look at the test strip and it would leave marks that look like a Rorschact (sp?) test that you need to interpet with a color gague. I am not sure of any more of the details.

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THC percentages really dont mean much of anything. When the government tests for THC they test for THC against all the other cannabinoids. This means that out of all the Cannbinoids found, CBD, CBN, etc.. 25% of them were THC. I think they do it by weight also. But it doesnt tell you how much THC is really there. It just tells you the composition of the trichomes but it doesnt tell you by weight that in a pound of weed you'll find a quarter pound of THC. Im guessing that the strongest marijuana is only like .01% or something infinitesimally small like that when you compare THC to plant material

Thanks for the information. I figured that it had to be something like that. I guess I will just stick to the tested method. Smoke each new strain for about 2 or 3 days then try another strain for 2 or 3 days and it becomes obvious which is better. I had over 25 strains last year so it took months of chronic smoking to rank all the strains. In addition to THC taste is very important and there is no other testing for that.

My wife kept saying I was smoking too much but I just had to.

yea.. Im more into taste.. and the quality of the high rather than how high you actually get. One thing you can take from them saying a strain is 25% THC.. you can kind of assume what the QUALITY of the high is especially if you know the THC/CBD/CBN ratios. High THC low Cbd is more of a psychedelic.. mind high. I like sativa dominant hybrids that have a unique, smooth taste and smooth high. I'm not really into those super potent two hitter quitter strains.

I used to say that if they say the weed has a cerebral high (sativa) that means you have to think about it to see if you are high. Weed that has a body high (indica) is the only really good product. However I have tried some sativas that are just so stony it does not matter that it is not a body high. White Widow and the Lambs Bread I had three summers ago changed my mind. Now I want the strongest high period regardless of the genetics of the strain. But taste is also always important. This year I am going to try Chernobyl, Jack Herrer (though I have heard many bad reviews), UK Cheese for sure which I already have and some others if I can find them in my area. I have been looking for Bliss, Chocolate Chunk, Sensi Star, Nor Cal Daddys Girl, Chem Dawg C4, Kens Grand Daddy and Casey Jones. I will update the forum on what I end up with.

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Originally Posted by rudy2010

I had over 25 strains last year so it took months of chronic smoking to rank all the strains.

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Color me green (jealous) I sure miss California. Up here in the PNW we only grow indoors. Can't do 25 strains like that.:)

One of things that struck me in going over scientific papers that deal with THC and cannabiniods, is that they (scientists) use a decarbboxylation process to convert THCa into THC. This may occur to some degree when smoking it and probably more when vaporizing it. But how completly, I'm not sure.

OM

How much THCa is converted probably varies from strain to strain as well. I get really stoned when using a vaporizer this makes me wonder if there are some strains that work better in the vaporizer and some that work better when burned at a higher temperature. Also the degree of dryness could affect how much conversion is happening. Just thinking too hard.

Effendi I actually started last season with about 37 strains. It was hard to keep track at the end even though I made a list. I went by the calendar and not the weather report for putting them out and lost several strains to frost or they just triggered and made one OZ or less. I won't make the same mistake this year. Outdoors is nice but there is a learning curve.

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Originally Posted by Groundup

harberside sends all genetics to the same qualifier Testing facility) i thimk its like 90 bucks to have a gram annalized!

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Harborside sends there tests to Steephill labs, which they have a vested interest in. Their results are never correct - we tested 30 of their tested products and came up with completely different numbers.
MDFinest is correct, they give a test a result out of all the Cannbinoids found, CBD, CBN, THC, etc.. then give a false percent of the total Cannbinoids, not total material.

I would also guess those number the average grow dose not see. The plant is push to the max to get the highest number possible letting us think that we can get that high THC number and buy their seeds. Maybe I wrong just my 2cent.

I want to get the highest THC and CBD content. Does that mean hybrids. Anyone have any high CBD or high CBD and high THC strains they can recommend.

It is not hard to produce weed that is extremely stony. It is hard to produce weed that is extremely stony and tastes great after being stored.

Sometimes I wonder if this testing is all that accurate. One plant can vary from another in appearance even if they are genetically the same. So can't the level of thc vary from plant to plant?

Faultline, THC definitely can vary on the same plants even from the same clone mother. Especially if the harvest time varies. I use a microscope to verify that at least 5% of the trichomes have clearly turned brown or amber. I do this to make sure the THC is ready. If you harvest the same plant earlier it will definitely have less THC.
It may have more CBDs though. Or possibly the CBDs show up before the THC so folks that just want the CBD effect can avoid the THC high. Not sure on all this CBD stuff but willing to listen. I am wondering if folks know of strains that are high in THC and CBDs. I like the effects of both.

THC, CBD, CBN all are cannibioids, they all have variable effects on each individual and modify each other as well. I think that when tests are done on any one strain/variety the percentage they are referring to when they state that "this is 25% THC", is that of all the cannibinoids present, that 25% of the cannibinoids are THC. The final makeup of just how much of each goes into your plant is genetics, we can harvest to optimize one or the other though. I have been trying to adjust my vaporizer as I was told that you could perhaps vape at lower temps for the THC and raise it up later for the CBNs, not sure how this would work as both molecules are so nearly identical.

Wish I would have read the whole thread, sorry MD you covered the % thing great already.

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Originally Posted by rudy2010

I went to a Hemp Con in San Jose at the end of January and there were some folks there who were selling Marijuana test kits. They said the kit ($90) would allow you to see how much THC was in the weed and to see if there were any impurities. I was wondering if anyone had purchased this type of kit or a similar kit and if it was legit.

I have my doubts about the THC % given for various weeds at Harborside and other dispensaries and in seed catalogs. Some of the strains claim to be 25% to more than 35% THC. It is hard to believe that if I took a pound of White Widow that they claim to be 25% THC and processed it so I had just the pure THC that I would have any where near 1/4 pound. I was wondering if someone could explain exactly what they mean when they say 25% THC. Are they talking about the THC in the resin, the THC in the entire plant, are the other parts of the plant that get you high besides the THC included in this percentage?

Anyway the kit at the Hemp Con was like a bottle with test strips. You would look at the test strip and it would leave marks that look like a Rorschact (sp?) test that you need to interpet with a color gague. I am not sure of any more of the details.

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I WILL TEST IT FOR YOU BRO! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rudy2010

I went to a Hemp Con in San Jose at the end of January and there were some folks there who were selling Marijuana test kits. They said the kit ($90) would allow you to see how much THC was in the weed and to see if there were any impurities. I was wondering if anyone had purchased this type of kit or a similar kit and if it was legit.

I have my doubts about the THC % given for various weeds at Harborside and other dispensaries and in seed catalogs. Some of the strains claim to be 25% to more than 35% THC. It is hard to believe that if I took a pound of White Widow that they claim to be 25% THC and processed it so I had just the pure THC that I would have any where near 1/4 pound. I was wondering if someone could explain exactly what they mean when they say 25% THC. Are they talking about the THC in the resin, the THC in the entire plant, are the other parts of the plant that get you high besides the THC included in this percentage?

Anyway the kit at the Hemp Con was like a bottle with test strips. You would look at the test strip and it would leave marks that look like a Rorschact (sp?) test that you need to interpet with a color gague. I am not sure of any more of the details.

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Back in the 70's, there used to be a package of clear gel that measured the THC. It was seperated by another compartment of gel. Anyway, you would cut the top of the package in section of gel and place a small amount of bud in it. Then you would "crack" the center divider and shake the first compartment (containing the bud) into the 2nd compartment. The gel would turn red. The deeper the color of red, the stronger the weed. Pink meant swag. Orange meant mids and a rich crimson was definetly high grade.