Breeding and Cultivation of Cannabis
Farmers and/or breeders of herbal Marijuana have argued since the 1960s that new breeding and cultivation techniques have actually increased the potency of cannabis or marijuana. In the early 1970s when delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol was first discovered, this belief was fueled significantly. The truth of the potency of Marijuana is certain types of seedless Marijuana, such as Thai sticks, have been available since the 1960s. If you delve just a bit further into the history of Marijuana, you will find that certain techniques of producing more potent Marijuana have been used in India for centuries. Techniques such as the Sinsemilla technique, which is a seedless inflorescence of the female Marijuana plant, have been effectively used since ancient times.
It may help to understand a bit of how the process works. The male plants, which actually produce very little THC themselves, are eliminated before pollination, simply because THC production drops off once pollination has occurred. Since they produce so little THC, they are effectively eliminated before they shed any pollen. This prevents them from pollinating. Many advanced cultivation techniques are used effectively and frequently to side-step enforcement. Since the cultivation of Marijuana is illegal in many areas, techniques such as hydroponics, cloning, high-intensity artificial lighting, and the sea of green method are used to prevent enforcement of illegal activities. However, due to the artificial and intensive techniques that are being used, fewer seeds are being seen in Marijuana and there has been a notable increase in the potency in the past 20 years. On average, the levels of THC in Marijuana being sold in the United States have risen from 3.5% in 1988 to 8.5% in 2006, less than 10 years later. Much of this increase is due to the cultivation techniques that are currently being used and improved upon.
One of the most potent strains of cannabis, also known as “SUPER SKUNK” Marijuana, has been grown through a selective breeding process using the hydroponics method. It is a cross-breed of the Marijuana sativa and the Marijuana indica. The potency of Skunk cannabis normally ranges from 6% to 15%, although it is rarely seen as high as 20%. In effect, the average THC content found in Skunk Marijuana is 8.2%. This is a strain of combined cannabis from the Afghani Indica, Mexican Gold, Colombian Gold, and Thai Marijuana. During the 1970s in California, cultivators performed an extensive breeding process using the traditional outdoor methods that had been used for centuries, and came up with this "FOUR-WAY" strain.
There are currently two recognized types of herbal Marijuana, "SATIVA" and "INDICA". The sativa strains are noted to produce a more “cerebral” high, while the indica strains produce more of a body high. Both these strains have been hybridized or cross-bred with ruderalis strains, which are early to mature but contain low THC amounts. The strains are combined in order to increase the range of desired effects.
Due to the proposed revisions to Marijuana rescheduling in the UK, the government has been contemplating the scheduling of more potent Marijuana material as a separate and more restricted substance. For instance, instead of listing the Marijuana as a Schedule VI drug which normally carries a misdemeanor charge, the more advanced and potent strains could possibly carry a felony Schedule II charge, due to the “high” that is induced with their usage. These views are being highly opposed. The reasoning being that if one can smoke less Marijuana to achieve the same effect, it must be safer to smoke the more potent Marijuana as opposed to the weaker strains, in which the user must smoke more to achieve the effect that is desired.
The average THC level found in the famed coffeehouses in the Netherlands is between 18% and 19%. A study done on male volunteers with a self reported history of regular Marijuana use, and aged 18 to 45 years has concluded that smoking Marijuana that contains higher THC levels, such as that found in the Netherlands, may actually lead to higher levels of THC concentration in the internal dose. Smoking Marijuana with higher levels of THC concentrations will lead to an increase of the occurrence of effects. This is especially true among younger smokers, or those who are primarily inexperienced in smoking Marijuana, and is true for those who do not sequentially accustom themselves to the higher levels of THC. Smoking Marijuana with higher THC levels has been associated in the past with such physical effects as an increased heart rate and decreased blood pressure, as well as effects on the psychomotor abilities such as reaction time and motor skill control.
The observation consisted of studying a single dose, or in street terms, smoking a joint for 20 to 25 minutes. It was concluded that the effects from that single dose lasted for more than eight hours. The reaction time did dwindle after about five hours. However, the THC concentration was still present. The study concluded that even after hours of smoking Marijuana, when the individual feels that their state of mind has returned to normal and may begin to smoke another Marijuana joint, the effects of the first joint may still be present in their bodies. When one smokes several joints per day, the accumulation of THC may often occur.
Another study done showed that only 15mg of THC can result in no learning occurring over a three trial selective reminding task at two hours. In several tasks, the delta 9-THC increased both speed and error rates significantly, resulting in a more risky speed to accuracy ratio.
