Spoiler: It’s not always just weed and sugar. Edibles are delicious, discreet, and sometimes… not at all what they claim to be. As a cannabis lab director, I’ve seen gummies that tested way below the label, chocolates with mystery potency spikes, and more than one “vegan” edible that turned out to be anything but. So here’s what you really need to know before biting into that brownie.

Not all weed shops are created equal. You walk into a clean, well-lit store. There are glass jars, a wall of vape carts, and a smiling budtender behind the counter. Great vibe, right? But here’s the thing: if you’re in a head shop, not a state-licensed dispensary, you might not be buying what you think you are. As a cannabis lab director, I’ve tested products from both kinds of stores—and the differences are huge.

It might be more than just THC and good vibes. Vape carts are wildly popular—but not always wildly safe. As a cannabis lab director, I’ve cracked open more mystery tanks than I can count. And while some are clean and legit, others are chemical chaos in a glass tube. 🧪 What’s Inside? 🌺 A Note on Added Terpenes Not all terpenes in your cart are cannabis-derived.

Don’t worry—but don’t be clueless either. As a cannabis lab director, I test products every day for contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, and microbes. And yeah—sometimes the results are gnarly. But knowing what to look for (and how the testing actually works) can help you stay safe without spiraling. 🌿 What Kind of Contaminants Are We Talking About?

Let’s talk about the great THC numbers game—and why a 39% flower is probably just lying to you. As a cannabis lab director, I’ve seen the testing results, the pressure from clients, and the broken incentives behind high-THC marketing. The problem isn’t just inflated numbers—it’s what we’re not measuring, and how that hurts everyone from growers to consumers. 🤔 What Is Potency Inflation?

Spoiler: Just because it gets you high doesn’t mean it’s safe—or even legal. Let’s talk about synthetic cannabinoids, those sketchy “lab-made” compounds that keep popping up in vape carts and gummies. Some are semi-legal. Some are straight-up illegal. Some are just bad chemistry and worse marketing. And the worst part? Many people don’t know the difference. 🧪 What Are Synthetic Cannabinoids?

Ever eaten an edible and thought “Huh, nothing’s happening”… only to wake up in the Upside Down two hours later? Welcome to the weird world of edible cannabis. The reason edibles hit so different has everything to do with chemistry, metabolism, and your very cool but very dramatic liver. 🍪 It Starts with Delta-9 When you smoke or vape weed, the Δ9-THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) hits your bloodstream quickly through the lungs.

Let’s get one thing straight: terpenes aren’t just about vibes and citrus.As a cannabis lab director, I get questions all the time like “So… is limonene what makes weed strong?” or “Is there THC in the smell?” I once had a bud-tender try to tell me that limonene was only found in sativa strains! So much misinformation floating around about terpenes!