Ninety seconds into episode 15 of Highly Informed, before she has packed a roll, Sanja Ganja picks a fight with the number printed on every jar in every dispensary. The peppercorns and cloves above are not decoration. They share a terpene with the strains she spends the next half hour talking about.
Higher THC does not mean better flower
"Higher THC does not automatically mean better flower. Period. Point blank." She says it without hedging, and does not soften it afterwards.
No 'it depends.'
That flat rejection matters because THC percentage has become the default number on every label, the figure people screenshot before they buy.
She has the receipts both ways. Flower under 25% that still does the job. Flower at 35% she calls completely forgettable, because the terpene profile underneath it was thin.
▶THC percentage is not the answer for everyone. It's all about the terpene profiles.
Caryophyllene is the example she reaches for
"If you have pain in your body, you should probably use something like caryophyllene," she says, naming a compound no potency label mentions.
Caryophyllene is a terpene, not a cannabinoid. It turns up in black pepper and cloves, and it is why the spicy, peppery strains smell the way they do.
Her trick for remembering it, from training budtenders across the country: careful, hot. Once you have heard it you will not un-hear it.
| Metric | What it measures | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| THC percentage | Raw cannabinoid potency | Terpene profile, flavor, how it actually feels |
| Terpene profile | Aroma, flavor, character of the effect | Rarely printed, not always tested |
What the number on the jar tells you, and what it leaves out
One aside, because she made it and it stuck
"Let's say your grinder hasn't been cleaned since, like, the Obama administration. We need to talk." Nowhere near the potency conversation, and it landed harder than any of it.
No percentage on any label survives contact with a dirty grinder.
What to ask for instead
Say the feeling you want rather than the number. Ask which terpene leads. Smell the pack before you open it. Then buy one thing under 25% on profile alone and see whether you can tell the difference.
