High Times

Her PhD research uncovered something every dispensary customer should know: the THC numbers on the labels are incredibly inflated. And that was just the first thing she found. Cannabis geneticist Dr. Anna Schwabe joins Sara Payan to talk about what the science actually says — why potency doesn’t mean what you think, why indica and sativa might be real after all, and why the industry’s favorite numbers are failing the consumer. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome & meet Dr. Anna Schwabe 00:49 Her first cannabis experience 03:38 From animal anatomy to cactus DNA 08:19 The Blue Dream question 09:07 “Not a pot lab” — a cannabis PhD gets approved 10:51 Label numbers are incredibly inflated 13:34 Why cannabis research is so far behind 17:39 THC hype & what potency really means 21:53 The problem with the “big six” terpenes 24:03 Cannabis’ small gene pool 26:10 Three branches of genetics (& 23andMe) 28:40 The Cannabis Genome & the naming debate 29:37 “Nature says, hold my beer” 31:29 In defense of indica & sativa 38:08 Your experience is valuable data 41:10 Bro science vs. lab science 45:09 Aims vs. hypotheses 47:11 Changing minds with new evidence 49:04 Cultivation starts with genetics 49:59 Why you can’t register a strain 53:42 Tissue culture & hop latent viroid 55:02 “It’s money that informs policy” 56:35 What’s next for cannabis science 58:57 Where to find Dr. Anna About Dr. Anna Schwabe: Dr. Anna Schwabe is a researcher, educator, and one of the leading voices in cannabis genetics. She holds a PhD from the University of Northern Colorado, where her award-winning research focused on genetic and phenotypic variation in cannabis. She co-authored “The Debated Nomenclature of Cannabis sativa” in The Cannabis Genome, serves on the board of directors of the Agricultural Genomics Foundation, and hosts the podcast My Flora Fridays, with new episodes every Friday. Hosted by: Sara Payan 🌿 Planted with Sara Payan on High Times ▶️ Watch every episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYlyBw2NC_lPc6Jm-XOr2DS49VHz2muNF — More from High Times — 📸 Instagram: @hightimesmagazine 🎵 TikTok: @high_times_mag 🐦 X: @high_times_mag 📘 Facebook: @HighTimesMag 🌐 Website: hightimes.com Subscribe for new episodes of Planted with Sara Payan and more from High Times. #AnnaSchwabe #SaraPayan #PlantedPodcast #HighTimes #CannabisScience #CannabisGenetics