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New Study Reveals Why THC Might Not Tell You What You Think Why a Single Plant Can Test at 17% and 24% THC at the Same Time

OG Article by: Nate Winokur Watch Today's LIVE Episode on YouTube, X, and Rumble


July 16, 2025





A recent peer-reviewed study in Scientific Reports takes a long, hard look at the way we

evaluate cannabis, and it might help put the myth to rest that THC percentage tells the

whole story.


Over the course of a year, researchers from a Canadian cultivation facility collected and

tested over 4,000 cannabis samples, analyzing more than 500 individual plants.

Their goal was to understand how THC concentration actually behaves within and

across harvests of the same genetic line.


Key finding #1: In a single plant, THC concentration can vary by as much as 7%,

depending on where the sample is taken. Top colas had significantly higher potency

than lower buds on the same stalk.


Key finding #2: Across multiple harvests of the same cultivar, even under controlled

conditions, average THC levels varied by up to 12%—a massive swing considering

most retail cannabis is marketed by percentage alone.


Key finding #3: Between the highest and lowest THC readings of the same cultivar

across different harvests, the difference was as much as 16.7% THC.

Key finding #4: This variability held even with precision-controlled inputs like lighting,

irrigation, and feeding schedules—proving the problem isn’t sloppy cultivation, it’s the

natural biology of the plant.

These numbers may sound shocking to some, but for growers and scientists who’ve

long compared the testing process to squeezing juice from oranges—sometimes dry,

sometimes juicy—it confirms what many have observed for years: THC is a moving

target.


The implications are massive. If a single plant can produce buds that test at 17% and

24%, what exactly is the “true” THC number?

Researchers also addressed how sample selection plays a major role in determining a

product’s reported potency. In Canada, unlike many of the regulated markets in the US,

licensed producers submit “representative” samples for testing, but there is no

guarantee these samples actually reflect the broader batch, which is something local

US markets struggle with as well.


So what does this mean for the average consumer or policymaker who still treats THC

as the one number that matters? Put simply: THC isnt everything. It’s a helpful

reference point within a batch, or when comparing identical genetics across a single


harvest. But it fails as a universal quality marker, especially when trying to compare 2

completely different genetics, such as an OG strain to a Kush. Each strain expresses its

own unique balance of compounds that shape the experience far more than THC alone.

What gets you “high” isn’t just potency; it’s chemistry, and that chemistry varies wildly

between cultivar families.


More importantly, the fixation on THC percentage tends to add confusion—not

clarity—to the conversation around cannabis quality. As many experts have

argued, it’s the full chemical fingerprint, including terpenes, esters, flavonoids, and other

volatile compounds that actually tells us how a strain will smell, taste, and feel.

Until the industry shifts away from THC-driven marketing, consumers will keep chasing

a number that doesn’t mean what they think it does. And science more than ever is

helping to back that up.


The full study can be found here:

 
 
 

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