Your medical cannabis journey simplified: find partnered dispensaries, explore pricing options, earn rewards, and get answers to FAQs, all in one spot.
Your medical cannabis journey simplified: find partnered dispensaries, explore pricing options, earn rewards, and get answers to FAQs, all in one spot.
With PGR weed growing in popularity, staying safe is the highest priority.
PGR weed is grown with plant growth regulators to produce higher yields and fatter nugs. However, these potential benefits come at the risk of compromising flavor, visual appearance, and more extreme health effects.
What is PGR Weed?
PGR weed is cannabis flower grown with plant growth regulators to boost yield and nug size. PGRs, or Plant Growth Regulators, are any substances, fertilizers, or mixtures that can be used to speed up or slow down the growth rate in plants and food crops by targeting physiological actions that then change the natural behavior of the plant. The main function of PGRs is to mimic or inhibit the plant’s normal growth hormones during the growth cycles.
PGRs can have an impact on when fruits ripen and also on the length, width, and shape of the plant’s roots, stems, trichomes, and leaves. It’s time consumers start asking the right questions to ensure not only the best value for their money but, more importantly, to minimize health risks.
For cannabis, PGRs are likely commonly used to increase the plant’s health and resistance to fungus but often at a cost of flavor and visual appearance. More extreme risks of PGR cannabis include risks of organ damage, cancer, and infertility. They can also cause more minor health effects, like skin or eye irritation.
Types of Synthetic PGRs Used While Growing Weed
When you see the words synthetic before anything, you should already be approaching with caution. Synthetic means that it was man-made using chemicals, compounds, or materials that imitate natural products for human consumption. If we have learned anything at all about the difference between synthetic and organic products is that the synthetic versions are often accompanied by less effective as well as adverse or undesired side effects. With that in mind, let’s have a look at some of the synthetic PGRs on the market:
Paclobutrazol
Daminozide
Chlormequat Chloride
In a not-so-unexpected shift of events, these synthetic PGRs are bad for our environment. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently identified daminozide as a probable carcinogen.
The residual PGRs in the soil and water can cause some serious damage to the fish and waterways. Additionally, growing cannabis has been known to boost biodiversity in the soil but when synthetic plant growth regulators are used, biodiversity becomes negatively impacted.
Regulatory Status of PGRs
Discuss the legal status and regulatory concerns regarding these chemicals, including bans and health warnings.
Impact on Cannabis
How is it that PGRs can have such an impact on buds? Well, simply put, the PGRs have an impact on the phytohormones-which are the plants’ hormones. These phytohormones play a key role in the growth and development of the plant. The plants’ hormones are also regulated naturally through environmental cues, receptors, and genome. The five major phytohormone classes include gibberellin, auxin, cytokinin, ethylene, and abscisic acid. PGRs are used to manipulate those hormones.
The growth process is divided into stages where each of these hormones serves an important purpose.
Phytohormone
Growth Stage
Gibberellin
Gibberellin impacts the most during the germination, growth to maturity, and flowering stages with less of an impact, but still an impact, on the fruit development stage.
Auxin & Cytokinin
Auxin and Cytokinin impact the most during the growth, maturity, flowering, and fruit development stages.
Ethylene
Ethylene impacts the most during the flowering and fruit development stages and then again after the seed dormancy stage in the abscission stage.
Abscisic Acid
Abscisic acid (ABA) impacts the most during seed dormancy and abscission (when ripe fruit drops).
How Do You Spot PGR Cannabis?
Though PGR cannabis is impossible to spot without proper chemical testing, there are a few tell-tale signs to flag for at your local dispensaries.
Appearance
Cannabis plants grown with PGRs are super dense and tightly curled. PGR buds will be elongated and feel thicker than healthy, leafy buds, with a spongy consistency. They’re also rock hard, so they’ll feel weighted than healthy nugs.Also, PGR cannabis will have more brown and red hairs than naturally-grown cannabis. Coupled with the yellow-brown trichomes typical of PGR weed, the red and brown hairs will cause the flower to have a duller, orange or brown appearance.
Texture and Smell
Not only are the trichomes a yellow-brown color, but there are also fewer trichomes on PGR cannabis. Because trichomes produce the plant’s terpenes, PGR weed will have a weaker smell compared to natural cannabis.
These nugs will also feel either spongey and wet or extremely dense and rock hard.
Taste and Effects
Because of the lack of trichomes on PGR weed, the plant carries less terpenes and cannabinoids. As such, this type of weed typically has a harsher, chemical-like flavor.
Generally, PGR weed also has a lower CBD and THC content than other cannabis products, as these cannabinoids are also produced in the trichomes of the plant. To make matters worse, the synthetic chemicals used in the PGR process disrupts the production of the plant’s cannabinoids, further diminishing its effects.
Is PGR Weed Safe to Use?
Health Concerns
Consuming cannabis grown with PGRs poses several health risks due to the harmful chemicals involved. These risks include carcinogenic effects, toxicity to vital organs, respiratory issues, and potential endocrine disruption. In particular, some plant growth regulators have been found to affect reproductive function in humans and animals.
Chronic exposure to PGRs can also weaken the immune system and reduce the therapeutic efficacy of cannabis by altering its cannabinoid and terpene profiles.
Consumer Safety
To avoid the risks of PGR cannabis, it’s best to avoid this type of weed altogether. The best way to ensure you’re consuming safe cannabis is to purchase from a licensed dispensary that provides a certificate of analysis with their products. A certificate of analysis can not only show the cannabinoid and terpene profile for the product you’re consuming, it also details how the product was tested before hitting the shelves – including whether or not the flower was texted for toxins and other pollutants.
Why You Should Get Your Medical Marijuana Card
Veriheal has satisfied millions of patients nationwide by giving them access to these benefits
While PGR-treated cannabis often offers higher yields and more visually appealing buds, consuming PGR weed can pose significant health risks due to the potential presence of carcinogenic and toxic chemicals. Plus, the plant growth regulation process alters the natural cannabinoid and terpene profiles of the cannabis flower, which can reduce the therapeutic and medical efficacy of the weed, as well as the flavor, aroma, and texture.
In contrast, naturally grown cannabis is generally free from harmful synthetic chemicals, especially when it is purchased from a trusted source. Though it may produce lower yields and less aesthetically uniform nugs, naturally grown cannabis retains its rich cannabinoid and terpene profile. Not only does this natural profile mean better-tasting weed, but it can also provide stronger therapeutic benefits and richer, more balanced effects overall.
Advantages of Natural Growing Practices
Naturally grown cannabis is significantly better for the environment compared to PGR-treated cannabis. By avoiding synthetic chemicals, natural cultivation promotes healthier soil, reduces harmful runoff, and supports local water quality.
Plus, organic farming practices can protect local ecosystems and promote sustainable energy use – ultimately reducing the carbon footprint and energy consumption associated with commercial cannabis grows.
Overall, naturally grown cannabis not only minimizes pollution but ultimately ensures a healthier, cleaner, and more balanced ecosystem among plants.
Conclusion
Overall, though PGR weed may produce uniform nugs and higher yields, dangerous synthetic chemicals can pose serious health risks and lead to weaker, less flavorful cannabis.
To ensure you’re using cannabis safely in a way that is best for you, consult with a medical marijuana doctor. Having your med card can open doors to a number of benefits — from tax breaks to enhanced legal protection — but it is ultimately the key to ensuring you’re making the best decisions for your health and your individual symptoms while ensuring easy access to safe medical cannabis.
FAQs on PGR weed
What does PGR do to weed?
PGRs or plant growth regulators can increase cannabis yield and lead to bigger nugs. However, it can also weaken the effects, flavor, and aroma of weed.
What is the difference between PGR weed and real weed?
PGR weed is grown with plant growth regulators, which can make for more uniform bud, but also can weaken the cannabinoid and terpene profile of the natural plant. In contrast, naturally grown cannabis keeps its terpene and cannabinoid profile, leading to a richer, more balanced, and overall safer experience.
Is PGR harmful?
Yes, PGR weed can lead to serious health risks such as liver toxicity, lowered immune system, or even cancer.
Is PGR weed illegal?
While PGRs are banned for use on food crops in many areas, some cultivators still use them for cannabis growth, as there are no laws explicitly restricting them in the cannabis industry.
What does PGR cannabis do to the body?
Consuming PGR weed poses several health risks due to the harmful chemicals involved. These risks include carcinogenic effects, toxicity to vital organs, respiratory issues, and potential endocrine disruption.
Citations:
1. National Toxicology Program. NTP Technical Report on the Toxicity Study of Chitosan (CASRN 9012-76-4) Administered in Feed to Sprague Dawley [Crl:CD(SD)] Rats: Toxicity Report 93 [Internet]. Research Triangle Park (NC): National Toxicology Program; 2017 Dec. Introduction.
3. Xu, C. S., Jiang, Z., Shen, W., & Zou, S. H. (2018). Zhonghua nan ke xue = National journal of andrology, 24(4), 370–375.
4. Pang, Q., Chen, X., Lv, J., Li, T., Fang, J., & Jia, H. (2020). Triacontanol Promotes the Fruit Development and Retards Fruit Senescence in Strawberry: A Transcriptome Analysis. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(4), 488
5. Ali, O., Ramsubhag, A., & Jayaraman, J. (2021). Biostimulant Properties of Seaweed Extracts in Plants: Implications towards Sustainable Crop Production. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 10(3), 531. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10030531
6. Gupta, R., & Chakrabarty, S. K. (2013). Gibberellic acid in plant: still a mystery unresolved. Plant signaling & behavior, 8(9), e25504. https://doi.org/10.4161/psb.25504
7. Khadr, A., Wang, G. L., Wang, Y. H., Zhang, R. R., Wang, X. R., Xu, Z. S., Tian, Y. S., & Xiong, A. S. (2020). Effects of auxin (indole-3-butyric acid) on growth characteristics, lignification, and expression profiles of genes involved in lignin biosynthesis in carrot taproot. PeerJ, 8, e10492.
8. Corbineau, F., Xia, Q., Bailly, C., & El-Maarouf-Bouteau, H. (2014). Ethylene, a key factor in the regulation of seed dormancy. Frontiers in plant science, 5, 539.
9. Gupta, K., Wani, S. H., Razzaq, A., Skalicky, M., Samantara, K., Gupta, S., Pandita, D., Goel, S., Grewal, S., Hejnak, V., Shiv, A., El-Sabrout, A. M., Elansary, H. O., Alaklabi, A., & Brestic, M. (2022). Abscisic Acid: Role in Fruit Development and Ripening. Frontiers in plant science, 13, 817500.
Chane Leigh, aka The Bud Fairy, is a South African cannabis advocate and enthusiast with a firey personality and a thirst for travel. She loves to educate people and to question the norms.
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The statements made regarding cannabis products on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Cannabis is not an FDA-approved substance and is still illegal under federal law. The information provided on this website is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be considered as a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional. We strongly recommend that you consult with a physician or other qualified healthcare provider before using any cannabis products. The use of any information provided on this website is solely at your own risk.