19-Crimes-Snoop-Cali-Red-Bottle-Renderin

Let's Play a Game...

Spot The Potency:

Snoop Dogg's THC Edibles

Snoop Dogg's Wine

Compare and Contrast:

The alcohol content of Snoop Dogg's wine is 13%. Compared to the cannabis edible, it's difficult to tell. The edible has its 100mg potency listed front and center, called out in an eye-drawing, bright yellow splash.

The real estate of the THC label on Snazzle Os is even bigger than Snoop's head. On the 19 Crimes bottle, the potency to head ratio is closer to 1:25. How could THC content be bigger than Tha Doggfather?

It has a little to do with consumer preference. It has a lot to do with cannabis regulatory compliance. Let's examine...

Labeling Wines & Labeling Whines

Imagine a bottle of wine. A subtle label, adorned with a coat of arms. Pallid background. Flowy, serif-laden typeface.

What information stands out? The name of the winery. The region. The year.

Alcohol content is displayed. It’s rarely on the front of the bottle. A cluster of rules apply to alcohol labeling, all the way down to acceptable abbreviations.

A winery cannot abbreviate Alcohol By Volume as ABV. In fact, the word “alcohol” can only be abbreviated as “alc.” Labels must have a statement of alcohol content, either expressed as a specific number, or in a range.

Cannabis labeling in Oregon has similar requirements. All required text on a label must be typed in legible font, at least 1/16th of an inch tall based on the size of the letter “K.” THC must be displayed for all cannabis flower. It must be displayed as a percentage based on a lab test from an ORELAP certified facility.

Wine labels have font requirements too. Containers smaller than 5 liters must have their alcohol content labeled with a type size no smaller than 1mm, and no larger than 3mm.

No larger than 3mm. What a concept.

Minimum Size for ABV Labeling

Minimum Size for THC Labeling

Maximum Size for ABV Labeling

Max Size for THC Label- ing*

*Technically infinite

There is no maximum font size for THC on an Oregon cannabis label. OLCC advertising laws restrict advertising marijuana for its intoxicating effects. OLCC labeling laws, however, shape consumer expectations around intoxicating effects.

Cannabis labels are pithy. They display THC content, CBD content, a Universal Identification Number (a 24-character alphanumeric code assigned to the test batch based on its Metrc tag). There’s a very long legal statement regarding FDA approval and age restriction.

The harvest date is labeled, and the farm is labeled. The region isn’t labeled. No information about the manner in which the flower is grown is required. There are no firm requirements about the authenticity of the strain. Further, there are no requirements for terpenes to be listed.

So what did we expect? Some of the only information a consumer has to make a purchase decision regarding cannabis flower is the THC. It’s only natural that this has driven consumer demand, and in reverse it has shaped the supply on the market.

Nevada, which isn’t known for their craft cannabis in the same way as Oregon, requires the “cannabinoid and terpenoid profiles and potencies” to be included on a label. This means that Nevada has more forward-thinking and craft-cannabis geared labeling rules than Oregon. That is a real shame for us. In the example below, a Nevada cannabis label shows the three dominant terpenes and their amounts, represented in mg per gram. Nevada's terpene labeling is excellent. Looking at the picture, though, I would argue they definitely need to set regulations surrounding acceptable fonts. Whatever the typeface is below, it should be stricken from the list.

Example Nevada Cannabis Label

It's well known that cannabis testing below 20% THC is hard to sell in regulated markets. This is reflected in the menu prices at dispensaries. Consumers flock to high THC products, and they pay the price for it, too. In an interview with Forbes Magazine, Neil Dellacava, founder of top shelf cannabis brand Gold Seal, said “When people go shopping, they look for two things: they’re looking for price, and they’re looking for THC percentage.” Remiss, he said “I find stuff that’s absolutely amazing that I have to throw in the trash because it tests at 18 or 19 percent.”

Even the National Library of Medicine acknowledges that “high-potency cannabis flower (≥ 20% tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]), and extremely high-potency cannabis concentrates (≥ 60% THC) [are] dominating the recreational cannabis market.”

Common Scents Labeling

How did we buy weed before it was legal? A buddy would come by with a bag, maybe two. We’d give it a smell and make a choice (if we could make a choice, even.) There was no THC labeling. Unfortunately, there were no terpene profiles listed, either.

So we trusted our noses. If it smells good, it is good. The nose knows.

Unfortunately, today’s Cannabis Consumer has been deceived. THC content is not precisely indicative of intoxication level. Regulatory bodies intend for THC labeling’s existence to provide the same benefits that Alcohol By Volume labeling does. If we know that one drink equals 12oz at 5% abv, we can plan how many IPAs to swill during a get together, and how much time to give ourselves before driving home.

Cannabis isn’t that simple. Potency labeling for edibles is certainly important. Anyone experienced with edibles can attest to the risks of consuming too much. For flower, though, the intoxication equation is more complex.

The entourage effect of terpenes and THC guides one’s experience with smoking flower. Consumer safety would be better off if we could at least tell them: “this batch is high in Myrcene, and is likely to make you feel drowsy.” Alas, all we have to go off of is THC.

That is why we need to adjust our labeling laws for flower and remove THC from the equation. It should, at a minimum, be expressed as a wide range. We should list the top 5 terpenes by percentage on the label, instead. Beyond that, let’s require farms to be transparent about what breeders produced their genetics, and have consistent follow through from seed to sale in terms of strain labeling. Let’s retrain Oregon cannabis consumers to look for quality and genetics rather than THC content. Let’s buy weed like we used to -- or better, even.

- Will Irwin