We are living in a changing world, which means progressive laws and new discoveries. Legal Weed? It cant be… Well, it is.
If you’re not in the Cannabis industry, chances are you’ve heard bits and pieces of information that don’t quite make sense, or misinformation all together. With new laws surrounding Marijuana, and under-informed keyboard warriors spouting misinformation, it’s very difficult to get an accurate understanding of what is legal and why.
Green Line Products has been in this industry for many years, and is a front-runner on new information and discoveries when it comes to Cannabis. We have numerous locations in the Bay Area (including a Licensed Florida Cannabis Cultivation Farm), and have a proven track record with a 5-star retail customer rating on Google. We currently distribute legal cannabinoids to hundreds of retailers nationwide, and have a higher customer retention rating than any other supplier of recreationally legal products in the country.
I hope the following explanation will help you to better understand the current laws, cannabinoid profiles of available products, and things to be educated on if you’re going to start shopping around.
What Are The Laws?
– The Federal Farm Bill effectively redefined Marijuana.
– “Marijuana” is a controlled substance, “Cannabis” is not a controlled substance.
– The Federal Farm Bill defines Marijuana as having >.3% Delta 9 THC by weight.
– Florida Law – Chapter 581 of the Florida Statues mimics the Federal Farm Bill by defining “Marijuana” as having >.3% Delta 9 THC by weight.
– Marijuana is Federally Illegal
– Marijuana is Medically Legal under Florida State Law
– Cannabis is Recreationally Legal per Federal AND State Laws.
What is the ACTUAL DIFFERENCE between “Medical Marijuana” and “Recreational Cannabis”?
The difference between “Marijuana” and “Cannabis” is the legally drawn line of .3% Delta 9 THC by weight. What does that even mean? How much Delta 9 THC is actually in Marijuana?
When you walk into a Medical Dispensary, generally the Marijuana Products are labeled anywhere from 15%, sometimes up to 33% THC. The percentage on the label indicated the TOTAL THC, which follows the formula (THCa*.877+D9=Total THC). This means the TOTAL THC is 87.7% of the THCa content, plus the Delta 9 THC content.
If you look at the Lab Report (Certificate of Analysis shown below) for Marijuana found in a local Medical Dispensary, you will see that the Delta 9 THC content is generally .3 – .7%. This means for Marijuana with a total THC content of 30%, only .3 – .7% is actually Delta 9 THC, with the substantial portion of active THC being THCa. This scenario is defined as Marijuana. If the Delta 9 THC content were to fall to .29%, it would be Recreational Cannabis. This is a paper thin margin.
In our comparison (shown below) using an actual “Medical Marijuana” Lab Report from Trulieve (sourced from their website), and an actual “Recreational Cannabis” Lab Report for Green Line Products, the TOTAL THC is actually higher in the Recreational Cannabis. The expected effects based on these results are consistent with customer reviews.
What is THCa?
When THCa is decarboxylated (heated or lit on fire), it becomes Delta 9 THC. The rate at which this happens is 87.7% (which explains the formula to determine TOTAL THC). What people don’t realize, unless they have actually reviewed an Analysis, is that THCa is THE MAIN THC found in Marijuana AND Recreational Cannabis, NOT DELTA 9 THC.
What is Delta 8?
Delta 8 THC (not to be confused with Delta 9 THC) has recently become more well-known and commonly confuses most people. Delta 8 THC is another THC cannabinoid, which is commonly found in Hemp plants. Delta 8 THC is commonly extracted from large quantities of Hemp to create a concentrated distillate. The distillate can then be reinfused into fresh Hemp plant to create high THC content Hemp. This process is effective, however, the final product will have only up to 75% of the desired potency.
It should be noted that Delta 8 THC in an EDIBLE OR VAPE format has been widely preferred over Delta 9 THC.
COA (Certificate of Analysis)
Below is a COA pulled from the Trulieve website, and a COA for Green Line Products. These COAs show an instance where Green Line Products Cannabis has MORE TOTAL THC than Trulieve.
