Comparing Marijuana to Alcohol, Michiganders Drinking Moonshine

Those of us who partake in adult beverages usually have our favorites, Craft Beers, a nice red wine, or liquor. Now that marijuana is legal in Michigan there is a whole other menu to consider when it comes to catching a buzz.

MLive reports

If current retail marijuana preferences were analogized to alcohol, the most sought after-strains would always be Everclear, chosen solely for THC potency, said David Egerton, a chemist who runs a Michigan lab that tests cannabis products. THC content is one of the main factors in wholesale and retail demand and pricing, however, marijuana safety lab directors, growers and regular customers tell MLive that’s not the best basis for making a purchase.

Before legalization those who obtained the products basically trusted the other party providing the product that it was good stuff. In this day and age of marijuana legalization, the industry is providing a lot more data to customers due to the mass amount of cannabinoids and terpenes contained in the plants that directly affect the result. Testing is mandated by the state of Michigan, which shows the potency of the plants and guarantees there are no harmful substances such as metals, pesticides, mold, yeast or fungi. THC has always been a factor, and they continue to push that number as high as they can. Edgerton says ““Certainly, THC is the psychoactive ingredient present within cannabis, but it’s not the whole story.”

Michigan’s safety compliance labs are there to assure state marijuana Regulatory Agency standards are met before the products can go to market. Every product comes with a label displaying state mandated information. One of those numbers is the THC content, which appears to be the most important number to consumers.

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Potency is important to the buyers, and the typical levels of THC can vary anywhere from as low as 10% to as high as 33%. Any signs of harmful contanaminants automatically disqualify a product for sale.