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Patrick Williams, Cannabis Business Times

Cannabis industry members say lab shopping and THC potency inflation hurt the market, consumers and patients. What can be done about it?

Before NFL star and former Heisman trophy winner Ricky Williams partnered with Los Angeles-based vertically integrated cannabis business Ball Family Farms on a cultivar collaboration, Williams was drawn to Ball Family Farms’ product because of a couple simple things: taste and effect.

Williams, founder and president of the cannabis brand Highsman, who pheno-hunted the cultivar called Ricky Baker inspired by a character from the film “Boyz N the Hood,” tells Cannabis Business Times: “For me, the whole point of cannabis is the idea of feeling good. So, to me, what feels good is the flavor, the taste, and then the way I feel. So for me personally, that’s my sweet spot.

You have customers calling and saying, ‘Hey, I need higher THC results,’ or implying that, and going to another laboratory that will give it to them.

Josh Wurzer, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, SC Labs

“For everyone, I just want to educate them to know that there’s nuance here. And when you try different flower, ask yourself, how does this taste? What flavors do I taste? Do I like it? Do I not like it? And then compare it to how you feel a couple minutes later.”

These are becoming more common refrains. Numerous industry members who recently spoke with CBT say that multiple cannabis compounds, such as terpenes and minor cannabinoids, at least in part epitomize the benefits of…