Why Are Non-Cannabis Terpenes Added to Cannabis?
It’s fairly evident that terpenes are part of the reason we love cannabis so much. Their flavor and smell profiles are what we sniff when we check out some promising flower, and they have many therapeutic benefits for our bodies and minds. But some cannabis products are made with terpenes from fruit or from laboratories instead of from cannabis, and that can be dangerous.
Some plants share the same terpenes as cannabis, like: rosemary, pepper, lemon, mint, and hops.
Terpenes can come from many different plants. All plants have these aromatic compounds, but some have more than others, and some (like fruit) have the same sought-after terpenes cannabis lovers crave. An example would be Limonene, which is commonly found in the fruit it sounds like; lemons.
But why would terpenes from other things need to be added in to cannabis?
To get cannabis into a consumable form other than flower (like concentrate), cannabis has to be extracted and processed. There are many different ways to extract cannabis, and it takes a varying amount of time and money to do so.
The cheapest ways to extract cannabis are usually done through a process that can burn off the naturally-occurring terpenes, thus resulting in near flavorless and scentless cannabis that doesn’t seem very appealing.
Since terpenes are what gives us the desired effects of cannabis (like relaxation, euphoria, and a sense of well-being), they’re pretty important. Cannabis without terpenes is like ice cream without sugar. So, companies that use these cheaper methods of extraction have to figure out a way to put the terpenes back. And that’s where the non-cannabis terpenes come in.
Are non-cannabis terpenes bad?
Terpenes from fruit or other plants may be naturally occurring, but that doesn’t mean they’re good to add in to cannabis.
Terpenes meant for consumption and terpenes meant for aromatherapy are very different.
All food and drugs meant for human consumption must pass a series of regulations to determine if they’re safe for the human body. When it’s food products, the FDA is in charge of it. But unfortunately, the cannabis industry doesn’t have many regulations in place when it comes to additives. In short; nobody is checking to see if the terpenes being used are safe for humans to consume.
How could they be unsafe?
Many farms grow plants for ornamental purposes, such as the case with one ornamental tree farm that was caught selling plant matter for the terpene pinene that was added to cannabis (1). These ornamental plants often use pesticides not safe for humans, but it usually doesn’t matter as much since we aren’t supposed to consume the plants. But when these terpenes are put into cartridges or edibles, we end up consuming the toxic chemicals.
There is also little data on how much is too much when it comes to terpenes. There isn’t a regulated amount that we know could be safe, so companies can add as much as they want, which could potentially be harmful.
The only way to stay safe from additives is to make sure the products you’re buying contain only cannabis-derived terpenes. Here at VIVA, we only use single-source live-resin, which is the highest-quality cannabis concentrate possible. Nothing but cannabis-derived terpenes here!
You can learn a little more about our process here.
Stay safe out there, friends!
Sources:
Stuck, Kim. Tricky Terpenes: Under-Regulated Use of Added Terpenes in a Regulated Cannabis Industry. February 28, 2022. Web Article. https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/tricky-terpenes-under-regulated-use-of-added-terpenes-in-a-regulated-cannabis-industry
2. Precision Extraction Solutions by Agrify. What is a Closed-Loop Extractor?
https://precisionextraction.com/2020/02/what-is-closed-loop-extraction/