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There may be a new top dog in town when it comes to THC supremacy. And while you’d expect the flower to come from California, Colorado, or Oregon, the latest cultivar to push the possibilities of potency is growing in the recently-minted medical marijuana fields of the Prairie State.

According to High Times , Illinois medical marijuana producers Green Thumb Industries (GTI) has reported that a new batch of their proprietary strain Brownie Scout has tested at 37.5% THC — a potency number that they say has never been matched.

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“Our last 4 harvests of Brownie Scout have yielded highly potent flower, consistently testing in the mid to high 30% of THC,” GTI vice president of marketing Kate Denton told High Times .

Brownie Scout is an indica dominant flower bred from Platinum Girl Scout Cookies and another GTI house strain, Great Divide, a cross of Kosher Kush and Phishhead Kush. The result is an earthy, piney bud reminiscent of its OG Kush lineage and intense intoxication.

“Brownie Scout has an earthy aroma with undertones of pine, pepper, and even a little floral,” GTI cultivator Silas Inskeep said in an April Instagram post . “The potential effects arise as a pleasant cerebral experience, and it may help to temporarily promote relief for anxiety, pain, and insomnia.”

To put the nearly 40% THC flower into perspective, most buds these days are testing closer to 20%, with about a 5% variability on either side, with stronger pot generally pushing the high 20’s and weaker weed testing in the teens. For comparison, full-strength cannabis extracts generally test anywhere from 60-90% THC . Once flower numbers eclipse the 30% marker, critics often become skeptical of the laboratory results, and have previously insinuated the presence of number fudging. And with the litany of problems plaguing cannabis testing facilities around the country, those questions aren’t too far-fetched.

When Portland-based cultivators 7 Points Oregon reported that their strain Future #1 tested at 37.28% last year, the brand couched their claims with press comments downplaying the importance of THC.

“For most of our team, a cultivar that hits 30 percent or above is too potent,” the 7 Points Oregon team wrote . “And we are big advocates of the concept that THC percentage is only part of the story regarding cannabis. Lesser-known cannabinoids and terpenes play a vital role, as well. We acknowledge that THC numbers do matter to consumers in the Oregon recreational market — some look for terpenes, some for THC. As far as we’re concerned, both perspectives are valid.”

Want to try Brownie Scout for yourself to see if it stands up to the THC percentage hype? You can find GTI flower in Illinois and nine other states, though you likely have to be a medical patient to get your hands on it.

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