It may seem silly to some, and downright funny to others, but apparently there is a need to define exactly what a joint is. For old timers, it might be a thin small joint often called a “pinner” or one of the big ones that used the entire rolling paper, typically called a “fatty”. For scientists, however, those differences make accurate research impossible so they did a study to help define a “Standard Joint Unit.”

Scheduled for publication in the Journal of Alcohol Dependence in the July issue, the study was released early online. Research was conducted by The August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain.

What did researchers discover about the ubiquitous joint? They discovered that—for research purposes—it should weigh 0.25 grams and contain 7 mg of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

I must say, that’s not an Oregon-sized joint…we roll them big here! Also, the THC content would be considered pretty low from a Pacific Northwest standard. We grow the serious dank!

But, researchers need consistent sizes and potency for research or they can’t compare apples to apples, you might say. In scientific research, standardization is a key to proper results. This was the impetus for their research.

They collected, by donation, 315 “valid” joints from 492 participants. The donors were mostly men (77%) with an average age of 29 of which; 75% were single, 73% had a secondary education, and 63% were actively employed.

Researchers found that participants rolled 4 joints per gram of cannabis and only paid 5 Euros per gram, on average. The average THC levels in standard flower joints amounted to 6.56 mg, but the “hashish” joints, or joints sprinkled with more concentrated hash, averaged 7.94 mg of THC. Flower joints showed almost no CBD content while hashish joints registered at 3.24 mg of CBD on average.

Now researchers have determined a Standard Joint Unit or SJU! Whether researchers in the United States or other regions will be able to apply this SJU standard effectively is still unknown. The research is new and since the potency and CBD levels can vary greatly from region to region, it may be difficult. Hopefully, they can formulate a proper dose using these new guidelines.

Gotta love science!