Bay Area residents have yet another thing to be snobs about in 2012 as knowledge of “terpenes” — the building blocks that make up the unique smell of cannabis — begin to waft into the mainstream.
Drug companies are researching the therapeutic properties of these simple organic molecules, and at least two California medical cannabis labs have begun testing for their presence in dispensary weed. One lab in Davis even holds routine smelling classes.
SPARC Sungrown Pineapple Thai’s thick syrupy tropical fruit smell comes from its terpenes Credits: David Downs 
Diagram of a beta-caryophyllene molecule Credits: Wikipedia 
Efffects associated with cannabinoids and terpenes Credits: Halent Labs 
Major cannabis terpenes and their associated smells Credits: Kushits.com 
Terpene comparison of two strains ToshOG and Dieblo Credits: The Werc Shop
