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BeerSci: What’s The Connection Between Hops And Marijuana?

BeerSci: What’s The Connection Between Hops And Marijuana?

July 29, 2021

“Are hops and marijuana related?”

I’ve fielded that question many times, usually after someone has sampled an especially resinous IPA — although at least one PopSci editor asked me the same question when looking at a photo of the leaves of a hop plant.

The answer to that question is yes and no.

The fact that both Humulus lupulus (hops) and Cannabis sativa (marijuana) have similar organoleptic properties (taste and smell) could indicate a common ancestry–but it isn’t proof. Lots of plants make similar aroma molecules, known as terpenes and terpenoid compounds, including lemons (which make limonene), lavender (linalool) and conifers (pinene) — but none of them are closely related to cannabis or hops.

Terpenes are a class of organic compounds synthesized by cells. They all start with a particular base molecule, called isoprene. I won’t go into terpene biosynthesis here, but it’s important to remember that all terpenes are built up using one or more copies of isoprene. A few of the primary aroma terpenes in hops are myrcene, beta-pinene and alpha-humulene–these and similar aromatic compounds are also what give cannabis plants their characteristic smell.

Kelly Knutson

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