# How good is medical marijuana compared to street quality stuff? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 7, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223 "2010-06-07T01:52:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/21 "2010-06-07T20:26:50Z")
Er…um…well, yes—of course that’s what I meant. Interesting and related anecdote: a guy I used to work for just got busted with 1000 plants in his house. He also owned a dispensary, but as **hajario** pointed out above, growers are not particularly fussy about the manner in which their product is distributed—this guy has been peddling drugs his entire life. He got expelled from high school for dealing, and now he’s in his mid-fifties and still selling drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/22 "2010-06-07T21:24:42Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Interesting and related anecdote: a guy I used to work for just got busted with 1000 plants in his house. He also owned a dispensary, but as **hajario** pointed out above, growers are not particularly fussy about the manner in which their product is distributed—this guy has been peddling drugs his entire life. He got expelled from high school for dealing, and now he’s in his mid-fifties and still selling drugs. American determination at its best: If at first you don’t succeed… ---
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/23 "2010-06-07T22:00:52Z")
I wonder if the stronger pot is to aid smuggling. If you have stronger pot you don’t need to move as much of it. Also if sentences are related to the amount you have, you’ll receive a lighter sentence for an ounce of strong pot, than you would for a lb. of weak pot. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/24 "2010-06-07T22:30:25Z")
> [@figure9](#): > > I wonder if the stronger pot is to aid smuggling. If you have stronger pot you don’t need to move as much of it. Also if sentences are related to the amount you have, you’ll receive a lighter sentence for an ounce of strong pot, than you would for a lb. of weak pot. I’ve never lived near the Mexican border, so maybe this is true. But the way the pot economy works, the smaller you cut down the quantity the more profitable it is (meaning if you start with a larger amount, you’ll make more profit/lb). It works the same way Costco does. The bigger the bulk, the greater a discount (the closer it is to the price the dealer paid for it). This is so that the dealer can move stock quickly (the only way to make money off of a non-physically addictive yet comparably expensive drug). The smaller they cut the amounts, the higher the cost/ounce is. Big time dealers would rather get a whole bunch of sh\*\*y weed and move it quickly to smaller dealers than get a smaller but much more expensive shipment of high-grade weed. This works in part, too, because unlike alcohol there is no THC % marked on dime bags of pot. So, unless the consumer can differentiate, the dealer on the street will still charge the rates of higher-quality marijuana. Of course, this results in a whole market economy where “local” dealers will either grow their own sh\*\*y weed and sell it cheaper (thanks to no overhead) or they’ll find a supply of really high-grade stuff and sell it to the people who understand the difference and are willing to pay the price. Oh, and before anyone asks how I know this: I am NOT a dealer. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/25 "2010-06-09T23:42:12Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Yep, one hit to get you wasted, as opposed to the 10 – 15 hits of the old brown Columbian stuff we had back in the 70’s. Kids these days have it so damn easy. OTOH it’s not always the best thing for those using it as medicine. Medicinal users usually don’t need to get all the way to “stoned” in order to obtain relief. The high concentrations of THC are, IMO a natural result of the product still being illegal for the most part, since that encourages the producers and dealers to move the most possible THC in the smallest possible amount of bulk product. If the medicinal product can get more established and standardized, I would like to see it available in different strengths, so that dosages can be judged a little more easily. A family member has been using MMJ for a few months; I’m surprised at how well it’s worked for her chronic pain. While it didn’t seem to immediately relieve it the way, say, an opiate would, after a few weeks she was able to drastically reduce the amount of NSAIDS, primarily Tylenol, that she takes. So while the pro-pot crowd generally may exult in the spread of legal MMJ because it seems to push MJ towards greater acceptability, there still does seem to be some genuine medical value to it as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/26 "2010-06-10T02:34:39Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > American determination at its best: If at first you don’t succeed… Shouldn’t that be, “If at first you don’t suck weed …”? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/27 "2010-06-10T03:40:02Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > …growers are not particularly fussy about the manner in which their product is distributed—this guy has been peddling drugs his entire life. He got expelled from high school for dealing, and now he’s in his mid-fifties and still selling drugs. > [@Sinisterniik](#): > > American determination at its best: If at first you don’t succeed… Yeah, I wish MY high schooler had this kind of initiative. Maybe if he weren’t smoking pot… ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/28 "2010-06-10T04:00:38Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > Big time dealers would rather get a whole bunch of sh\*\*y weed and move it quickly to smaller dealers than get a smaller but much more expensive shipment of high-grade weed. I don’t think this is true. It is more difficult, expensive, and risky to move 20 cubic feet of any contraband than it is to move 10 cubic feet. It would seem to follow that a smuggler would prefer the greatest possible profit per cubic foot. You are saying, it seems to me, the smuggler would prefer less profit per square foot. On edit: perhaps I should say dealer, not smuggler, as that seems to be who \*\*Sinisterniik \*\*is referring to. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/29 "2010-06-10T04:10:47Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I don’t think this is true. It is more difficult, expensive, and risky to move 20 cubic feet of any contraband than it is to move 10 cubic feet. It would seem to follow that a smuggler would prefer the greatest possible profit per cubic foot. You are saying, it seems to me, the smuggler would prefer less profit per square foot. > > On edit: perhaps I should say dealer, not smuggler, as that seems to be who \*\*Sinisterniik \*\*is referring to. Yeah but if the quality is too high, they’re either pricing themselves out of the majority of the market, or end up dropping the price to sell it. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/30 "2010-06-10T04:16:39Z")
What I’ve read is going on in California is buyers want high-quality indoor grown hydroponic product, and outdoor growers are seeing wholesale prices plummet, if they can sell their stuff at all. From what I know, the quality of outdoor grown vs. indoor grown really depends on the grower’s skill. You can get crap either way. But Californians are trendy, and indoor grown is trendy now. ETA:, oh, and in terms of “quality” medical marijuana users are far more likely to demand very clean, organic pot, free from any chemicals. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/31 "2010-06-10T05:44:51Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I don’t think this is true. It is more difficult, expensive, and risky to move 20 cubic feet of any contraband than it is to move 10 cubic feet. It would seem to follow that a smuggler would prefer the greatest possible profit per cubic foot. You are saying, it seems to me, the smuggler would prefer less profit per square foot. > > On edit: perhaps I should say dealer, not smuggler, as that seems to be who \*\*Sinisterniik \*\*is referring to. You definitely might be right. I’m not speaking with true expertise, only what I’ve learned here and there. So please take the following with a grain of salt: In terms of smugglers in the stereotypical sense (a Mexican narcotics mule), they usually have very weak connections to the drug trade. They tend to be poor farmers living near the border, just pawns for the true drug lords that only care about revenue. There are other drug runners in this country though, moving shipments from wherever they’re grown to the smaller dealers. You’re correct that it’s riskier to move larger quantities, so it may be different for these “home-grown” drug runners. I don’t actually know how the biggest drug lords within our borders move their product. They may simply have individuals who grow locally and have the dealers come to them. In which case, it isn’t going to matter much how much marijuana is seized. [Federal](http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4575) laws for cultivation cap out at the high mark of 1,000 kg (meaning any more wouldn’t result in a larger sentencing), and possession of any amount is treated exactly the same (“I swear, officer, I was planning on smoking this ton of weed all by myself!”). However, states differ. My home state of [New York](http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4554) caps out at a mere 10 lbs. for cultivation. In [California](http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4525), where this discussion appears to be centered, all amounts are treated the same, from the tiny plant in the back shed to the huge nursery hiding in one of their many state parks. So you can see how in states with more lenient drug laws it does make sense to try and deal more in bulk and worry less about quality. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/32 "2010-06-10T05:48:11Z")
Oh -one more point! In terms of smell, higher grade marijuana tends to smell VERY strongly. Lower grade stuff lacks this, so you could conceivably get away with moving it in greater amounts. Unfortunately I don’t have anything particularly scientific to back this claim up… ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/33 "2010-06-10T05:55:05Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Yeah, I wish MY high schooler had this kind of initiative. Maybe if he weren’t smoking pot… There, there…don’t get discouraged. Maybe you can get him on American Idol. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/34 "2010-06-10T05:55:16Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > So you can see how in states with more lenient drug laws it does make sense to try and deal more in bulk and worry less about quality. Arrrgh… I missed the window to edit. I wanted to tack on the following to the above sentence: > [@](#): > > Although, in California I’m sure this isn’t the case, thanks to the good ol’ free market. Dispensaries offering high-grade stuff for reasonable prices force competition based on quality as well as price. Without that piece of the puzzle though, the quality just has to be better than Joe Six-puff’s friend who deals down the street. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/35 "2010-06-10T06:02:42Z")
> [@EdwardLost](#): > > So are all the growers hard at work developing strains that provide the medical benefits without getting the users high? What are you smoking? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/36 "2010-06-10T06:48:20Z")
> [@EdwardLost](#): > > So are all the growers hard at work developing strains that provide the medical benefits without getting the users high? Heh. I don’t think you quite understand… getting high _is_ the “medical benefit”. ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/37 "2010-06-10T17:34:27Z")
[not quite on-topic, but close] I know a person who was part of a clinical trial for a pharmaceutical spray of marijuana. The weed had been processed into a spray, like a breath spray. Basically you have to spritz this stuff between your cheek and gums. The drug manufacturers concern was to ensure consistent dosage of the specific active ingredient which could not be controlled through smoking. I don’t know the source or strength of the MJ. The patient had tried the spray for a couple of weeks for neuropathic pain but found it ineffective and downright disgusting. It tasted like wet pot ashes. The patient declined further treatment with it. No other MJ products were/are being used. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/38 "2010-06-10T17:47:05Z")
NPR had an interesting [spot](http://http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127727563) on medical marijuana this morning. The part that I found interesting was > [@](#): > > But the testing has led to other euphoric revelations. THC -– the main psychoactive substance in pot -– has always been the golden ring for breeders. The lab recently found that a potentially beneficial compound called CBD has almost been bred out of the marijuana sold in California. Marijuana researchers say CBD may relieve pain and stimulate appetite but leaves the user largely un-buzzed. ---
**Author:** ![Apex\_Rogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Apex\_Rogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apex_Rogers)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/39 "2010-06-10T19:26:48Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I don’t think this is true. It is more difficult, expensive, and risky to move 20 cubic feet of any contraband than it is to move 10 cubic feet. It would seem to follow that a smuggler would prefer the greatest possible profit per cubic foot. You are saying, it seems to me, the smuggler would prefer less profit per square foot. > > On edit: perhaps I should say dealer, not smuggler, as that seems to be who \*\*Sinisterniik \*\*is referring to. There are two different areas we’re talking about. A smuggler needs to have the cannabis in a compact form and easily hideable. This is going to be cheaply grown outdoor cannabis that is compressed into brick form. The bricks can stacked efficiently and concealed in hidden compartments or stacked on a pallet amidst other goods. The stuff is also not very fragrant and so will attract less attention and has a longer shelf life than the high grade material. The smuggler does not want high potency sinsemilla (seedless) cannabis, because people that are buying high-grade weed do not want it from a brick, where the buds have been compressed, crystals fallen off the plant material, and oils squeezed out of the plant. They want big fluffy nugs and fresh-smelling cannabis–something that the brick form will prevent from happening. So the smuggler prefers brick weed that he can quickly and discretely offload and then be on his way. Some dealers cater to lower-end clientèle and for them the brick weed is ideal. It’s cheap, it’s plentiful, and the end-user is satisfied by it. But when you start talking about higher-end users and dispensaries, the brick weed is not going to cut it. They prefer high-quality cannabis that retains the shape, feel, and smell as it did hanging off the plant. This normally means locally grown or carefully transported goods beyond the reach of your typical smuggler. Do some smugglers bring in the high grade stuff? Most assuredly. But by and large, I’m willing to bet that they specialize in the brick weed, while a more local product flow specializes in the high grade stuff. As a disclaimer, this is mostly conjecture based on some personal experience and educated guesses. Take it for what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223/40 "2010-06-11T04:40:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Yeah, I wish MY high schooler had this kind of initiative. Maybe if he weren’t smoking pot… > [@Washoe](#): > > There, there…don’t get discouraged. Maybe you can get him on American Idol. Dude, _what_ are you smo… oh, never mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-is-medical-marijuana-compared-to-street-quality-stuff/542223.md?page=3)