What is Interpening?

Like we said earlier, Interpening is the art and science of cannabis. The individuals who dedicate themselves to this field of study are called Interpeners. 

Simple, right? Okay, maybe a few more details would help.

The Trichome Institute defines Interpening as, “evaluating cannabis flower for total quality & psychotropic variety type designation.” Essentially, an Interpener can look at and smell buds and, with their vast knowledge, determine the quality and specific effects they’ll have. How freaking cool is that?!

While you’ve probably run into your fair share of self-proclaimed “cannabis experts,” the truth is there’s a major lack of professional training available. That’s why we were so impressed with the work that the Trichome Institute is doing. 

Their course, Professional Interpening, provides the necessary tools and certification to develop your knowledge and nose for cannabis assessment. They include courses like Speciation Controversy, Cannabis Anatomy, How to Predict Psychotropic Effects, and MORE! 

This isn’t for the faint of heart though. Their in-depth courses are labeled advanced and the final certification requires passing an exam. We may joke about NOT quizzing you on our information, but they certainly will. In the end, however, that’s a good thing because Interpening is REALLY important.

Why is Interpening Important?

Interpening is important because the cannabis industry is still growing. Strain names can be misleading, people can have different tolerances, effects can vary, and lab tests don’t always determine the overall quality or effects. Interpeners, however, help consumers find the right products and they help businesses improve the quality of their flower.

For instance, did you know that paranoia and anxiety aren’t necessarily healthy side effects? Or that labs don’t always test for specific molds and insects that commonly infest cannabis? Plus, unless you’re a trained professional, it’s next to impossible to determine the effects a strain will have simply by looking at its lab results.

In the most basic sense, Interpeners are helping to improve the overall quality of cannabis while sharing important (and fascinating) knowledge. If you’ve been part of the Abstrax family for a minute, you already know that THAT’S the stuff that really gets us amped up. 

How Can Interpening Help Your Business?

It might sound crazy, but Interpening can actually solve some of the industry’s largest problems while giving consumers more of what they actually want.

First, most consumers shop for THC percentage and strain names. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always result in happy consumers. Our research is showing more and more that the complex aroma of cannabis is what influences the effects, while cannabinoids like THC are what provide psychoactive properties. That means strain names and COA’s rarely provide an accurate picture of overall quality and effect type.

Interpening, however, shows the industry and consumers how to manufacture and find high-quality cannabis with the desired effects. No more simply shopping for India or Sativa products!

Instead, Interpening guides you through a process to be sure a cannabis sample is safe to consume, assess its quality, and even determine its effects. Pretty cool, right?

Overall, Interpening courses and certifications educate the industry and consumers on the most complex cannabis topics while suggesting logical solutions to them. What’s more, Interpening certifications help people land jobs in the industry. The Interpening tools are fun and quickly show people from all sides of the industry how cannabis truly works.

What’s in Our Aromatic Training Kit?

A big part of the Trichome Institute’s course includes specialized aromatic training. Interpening helps you “...analyze the nuances of aroma and use the data the nose knows to evaluate flower quality and determine its likely effects.” 

These particular lessons involve a smidge of biology (olfactory system, trigeminal nerve, etc.), a dash of chemistry (terpenes), and now there’s hands-on training with our Aromatic Training Kit.