One of the selling points of marijuana is that they come in different strains so they can do different things for people. For instance, one person may be looking to relax while another may be looking for a creative high.
According to a new study however, the fact that these different strains can do different things for people may be deceptive. According to researchers, no matter what the strain is called, marijuana variations contain relatively the same amount of THC as well as CBD.
“A high abundance compound in a plant, such as THC or CBD, isn’t necessarily responsible for the unique medicinal effects of certain strains,” said lead study author and chemistry professor Elizabeth Mudge of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan. She was speaking to Science Magazine.
“The THC content can be identical between these two classification groups,” the study has concluded.
The researchers have reassured however that these findings do not take away the idea that different marijuana strains can provide users with different medicinal benefits.
“Understanding the presence of the low abundance cannabinoids could provide valuable information to the medical cannabis community,” Mudge stated.
“People have had informal breeding programs for a long time,” explained study co-author Susan Murch, a chemist. “In a structured program, we would keep track of the lineage, such as where the parent plants came from and their characteristics. With unstructured breeding, which is the current norm, particular plants were picked for some characteristic and then given a new name.”
