Cannabis Under The Microscope

Microscope Uncovers Hidden Secrets of Cannabis

Ever get really stoned and wonder what your weed would look like under a microscope? No? Just us? Either way, we’re still going to tell you.

According to the book Cannabis: Marijuana Under the Microscope by Tim Kinsman, cannabis kind of looks like some weird alien species when looked at under a microscope.

Kinsman, a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology and science photographer, used the book to help capture the hidden secrets of the cannabis plant that aren’t visible to the naked eye. And it’s pretty incredible.

To capture these spectacular photos, kinsman used a scanning electron microscope to get a close up look at dried cannabis leaves in a vacuum chamber. The cannabis samples are also coated in gold and bombarded with electrons, after which a computer records how the electrons scatter away from the sample.

Through this process, Kinsman was able to capture cannabis throughout different stages of a plant’s life, from pollination, to a tiny seedling, to two weeks old, and finally, a fully matured plant. 

Based on Kinsman’s photos, not only does full grown cannabis up close look like psychedelic mushrooms, but has mysterious crystals at the root. These microscopic purple mushroom looking sacs are actually what contains the THC in cannabis and are located on the ends of individual cannabis “hairs.” Pretty cool, right?

So next time you roll a joint, remember that it’s really those tiny purple mushrooms that are getting you high.