Flower So how much does THC% make a difference?

[BudGuy]

So I was looking at the cheapest bud on the listings, and it's Black Cherry Punch at £4.95. Then I realised it's only 15% strength, and I thought well if you tally it up by mg of THC then although it's the cheapest bud in absolute terms, it's actually more of a £9/g strain if you were to strengthen it up to match some of the higher strength stuff - then in fact it would be one of the most expensive strains on the market.

But then I've been thinking about how much THC strength actually matters. This is my first month trying cannabis strains at the higher end of the strength scale, with Farm Gas and Chemnesia Haze at 27%, after starting my medical journey around the 20-23% mark, and I have to say I'm not noticing the massive upswing in strength that I had led myself to expect.

My tolerance is probably higher than it's ever been at this point, but I still thought I'd notice something semi-significant. So I'm starting to get the impression that perhaps THC % means less than say, alcohol % does, where it's quite predictable and consistent in terms of effects per drinks between say a beer and a vodka.

So I just wanted to get everyone else's experience on what difference THC % really makes.

Do you notice a significant difference/correlation between the printed THC % and the intensity of effects?
Have you had 15-19% strains which hit you really hard? Have you had 27-31% strains that done nothing?
Is it the case that if you're lucky, the £4.95 15% strains might just have the right terpenes for the entourage effect to make that strain feel like a 30%er to you, even though it's objectively much weaker?
What about balanced 7% strains? Anyone who regularly consumes the 25%+ stuff who has consumed the balanced strains and still gotten effect from them?

Since Sativa/Indica, Nighttime/Daytime, and high strength vs low strength seem to be unreliable markers of effects for me so far, is it best just to spend some time at the cheaper/lower strength side of the market and see if there just happens to be some heavy hitters there for me personally, despite an apparent lack of THC?

 

[Highthere]

I've come to find that most cheaper strains (not including discounts) have an effect you would expect for lower-tier menu items. That's not necessarily bad, but all the heavy hitters I've tried have been about £7/g - £8.50. Fortunately for me I only need a heavy hitter for before sleeping, so for daytime functionality, a cheapy does wonders!

Unfortunately, and I think most here have experienced this by now, once a great cheapy arrives, it soon disappears for a long long time (if not forever).

 

[joint_account]

My understanding on THC Strength and the way it effects you is all about the amount of THC you brain absorbs in a singular hit, it's maximised absorption by the brain in the fastest amount of time. This is ultimately the problem with prescribing younger people >25% strains because of the long term, brain altering effects that a high amount of singular exposure can have on the brain of a developing person.

The likes of Smacksalad also lead me to believe that there's a 10% swing in stated flower potency (whether that's a rule or an average I don't know). so that means a 25% strain could be 22.5% or 27.5%. And to make things more complicated this obviously changes throughout the plant as well.

I do think terpenes and cannabinoids come into effect a lot more than THC%, we're literally discovering new cannabinoids on a routine basis so you can imagine we're always still learning.

I think all of us have slightly different definitions of being high, we of course all have different tolerances and are all looking for different medicinal effects so this can really muddy the waters on good vs bad.

To be specific to your questions;

Do you notice a significant difference/correlation between the printed THC % and the intensity of effects?
To a degree, yes.
Have you had 15-19% strains which hit you really hard? Have you had 27-31% strains that done nothing?
Both yes.
Is it the case that if you're lucky, the £4.95 15% strains might just have the right terpenes for the entourage effect to make that strain feel like a 30%er to you, even though it's objectively much weaker? Also yes, it's not a case of luck. it's a case of making a note of the plants you really enjoy and then noticing a pattern of key terpenes.
What about balanced 7% strains? Anyone who regularly consumes the 25%+ stuff who has consumed the balanced strains and still gotten effect from them?
The cannabinoids in balanced strains are well, more balanced. Where you see a higher CBD% you will see a lower THC%, this used to be normal but in the hunt for the perfect high have bred almost exclusively for high THC%. The CBD effects also carry the properties to make the THC effects less psychoactive, making it a more mellow experience.