Count Your Cannabinoids With A THC Potency Tester
Everyone knows that cannabis is a potent plant. However, it's impossible to tell how strong a strain will be just by looking at it. Sure, those trichomes may look impressive, but looks can always be deceiving. Cannabis customers and cultivators need a more accurate way to gauge the expected effects of their flowers, edibles, and concentrates. Hence the growing demand for pot-specific THC potency testers.
As innovation flows into the cannabis tech sector, more companies are creating portable potency testers that produce phenomenal results. Although many manufacturers still work with third-party labs, THC potency testers are becoming an increasingly popular and less pricey at-home THC potency testing solution.
Whether you've got a "budding" business or you're a passionate DIY "baker," portable THC potency testers have a lot to offer. Not only do these testers keep cultivators compliant, they help patients accurately measure every dose of weed. As the cannabis market moves towards greater standardization, potency testers will play an increasingly pivotal role.
What Exactly Does A Potency Tester Look For?
In the cannabis industry, a potency tester is a device designed to measure the total cannabinoids in a given sample. Since cannabinoids are the main active compounds in cannabis, knowing these percentages will provide users with a "preview" of how a strain will feel.
For instance, strains with high THC percentages will, well, make you super "high." However, if a strain has a more substantial CBD profile, users can prepare for a more mellow, non-intoxicating experience.
While all THC potency testers focus on cannabinoid ratios, some can also scan each strain's terpene levels. Unlike cannabinoids, terpenes aren't unique to the Cannabis genus. However, these smelly chemicals can tell users a great deal about how a strain will taste and how it will make them feel.
FYI: If you're interested in how terpenes change cannabis strains, check out our How Cannabis Terpenes Work blog post.
How Do You Use A Potency Tester?
While every potency tester has slightly different instructions, most are designed to scan a tiny sample of your chosen cannabis product. For instance, if you're using tCheck's THC tester, simply load five drops of your concentrate or infusion onto a tray, pop the tray into the scanner, and select your infusion base, weight, and room temp into the tCheck app.
Within a few moments, you should see easy-to-read results on your smartphone. In addition to the total cannabinoid percentage, you'll also see a clear breakdown of the potencies of major cannabinoids like CBD, CBDa, THC, and THCa.
For more detailed info on how to calculate these results, be sure to read this previous post explaining how to use a tCheck THC potency tester. You could also watch this "How to Test a Flower or Isolate-Based Infusion".
What Cannabis Products Could You Scan In A Potency Tester?
For most of recorded history, the only cannabis products were dried flower and hashish. Today, by contrast, it's challenging to keep track of all the weird and wonderful concentrates, edibles, and infusions on a dispensary’s shelves. Each of these novel products has a unique potency profile—hence, a good THC potency tester should handle most of them.
However, not every THC potency tester has the same specifications. Some potency testers are only designed for concentrates, while others can handle dried flowers. For this reason, it's imperative customers review what products their THC potency tester can accurately measure. Only go with a product that was designed to scan your preferred cannabis type.
Who Could Benefit From A Potency Tester?
Scanning a cannabis strain's potency is more than just a "convenience." For some people, this info could be essential for their health or legal standing. Here are four ways THC potency testers serve a central function in the current cannabis market.
Enjoy "Intentional Dosing" For Medical Or Recreational Use
In the pharmaceutical field, creating precise doses is of paramount importance. Since marijuana is steadily entering the medical field, it makes sense that doctors are keen to know what doses work best for various conditions. If marijuana is seriously going to gain traction in mainstream medicine, patients need an easy way to measure their strain's potency.
While these at-home units may not cut it for big pharma, they will help patients who prefer using products like smokable flower, concentrates, and edibles. Only at-home THC potency testers can offer customers accurate results without paying exorbitant lab fees. No matter what strain a patient has in their stash, they will be able to get a clear view of cannabinoids and terpenes.
But it's not just patients who can use the information listed in a THC potency tester. Recreational users can better tailor their smoking sessions once they know how potent a strain is. Customers who want "intentional" smoking experiences must scan their strains, edibles, or concentrates before deciding on a daily dose.
Potency Testers Make Perfect Cannabis Edibles!
Have you ever had a batch of brownies that got you way too "baked?" If so, chances are you just guesstimated how much cannabutter to throw into your batter.
Luckily for canna-chefs, THC potency testers take all of the guesswork out of measuring ingredients. As long as you know your ideal tolerance level, this handy tool could help you calculate the precise amount of cannabinoids in every batch of canna-cookies. As mentioned above, using a THC potency tester helps you create intentional “edible experiences” without worrying about "stoned" side effects.
On the subject of cannabutter, be sure to check out tCheck's complete guide to measuring this popular infusion.
Potency Testers Can Keep Cultivators In the Green
Cannabis cultivators are subject to incredibly stringent quality control standards. Considering cannabis was illegal for much of the 20th century, it's not surprising state lawmakers want the most accurate information possible from growers. While this is great for legitimizing the cannabis marketplace, it makes it even more challenging for cultivators to remain fully compliant.
This is especially the case with farmers who are growing industrial hemp flowers. Under federal law, hemp cannot have over 0.3 percent delta 9 THC. If labs detect THC levels above this threshold, cultivators could potentially lose their grower's license.
Since the stakes are so high for cannabis cultivators, it makes sense to constantly monitor cannabinoid counts with an easy-to-use THC potency tester. These portable devices will let farmers know what's in each of their strains as they near flowering. Having this data in hand will remove a ton of stress as inspectors request samples pre-harvest samples.
Expand Your Dispensary With Creative (And Compliant!) Products
Although all commercially available cannabis products should have lab reports, that doesn't mean dispensaries can't benefit from using a THC potency tester. After all, who's to say potency readings on a few products aren’t slightly off? The only way to double-check the accuracy of a wholesalers' products is to scan a few buds with a portable THC potency tester.
Plus, if dispensaries offer their products like DIY edibles or freshly-pressed rosin, they need a way to let their customers know how potent they are. A portable THC potency tester can help dispensaries expand their unique product line without deviating from the law.
Need A Quick THC Test? Try tCheck's THC Potency Tester!
Contemporary cannabis consumers will no longer settle for any old flower—and that's a good thing! Customers should have the ability to tailor their cannabis experience to their goals. To do this, however, businesses and cannasseurs need the scientific accuracy that THC potency testers provide. Without the precision of potency tracking technology, it's impossible to distinguish one cannabis strain from another...without smoking them, of course!
Thankfully, you don't have to rely on expensive third-party labs for this crucial information. Now that companies like tCheck offer hi-tech, affordable, and portable testers, anyone could get an accurate read on their buds in a matter of minutes.
