20 May 28th - June 3rd, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Questions? Feedback? Email me at [email protected] • Follow me on RATING (out of 5 McFly’s) 2026 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN SEL: I MIGHT BE THE COOLEST ADULT YOU KNOW. 2026 GENESIS GV70 The 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan The 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL starts around the mid-$40,000 SEL starts around the mid-$40,000 range depending on options, and range depending on options, and honestly, that feels pretty fair once honestly, that feels pretty fair once you’re sitting inside it pretending you’re sitting inside it pretending your Starbucks cold brew is a luxury your Starbucks cold brew is a luxury accessory. With fuel economy accessory. With fuel economy hovering around an estimated 22 hovering around an estimated 22 city / 30 highway MPG, the Tiguan city / 30 highway MPG, the Tiguan SEL somehow manages to be both SEL somehow manages to be both “responsible adult purchase” and “responsible adult purchase” and “I’d still like to look cool in the Whole “I’d still like to look cool in the Whole Foods parking lot” at the exact Foods parking lot” at the exact same time. It’s the kind of SUV that same time. It’s the kind of SUV that says, “Yes, I meal prep… but I also says, “Yes, I meal prep… but I also know where the good mezcal bar know where the good mezcal bar is.” is.” Volkswagen finally figured out Volkswagen finally figured out that people want practical vehicles that people want practical vehicles that don’t feel like they were that don’t feel like they were designed by a committee whose designed by a committee whose favorite hobby is discussing mulch. favorite hobby is discussing mulch. The SEL trim gives the Tiguan The SEL trim gives the Tiguan enough premium touches to make enough premium touches to make you double check the badge when you double check the badge when you climb in. Massive screens, you climb in. Massive screens, upscale finishes, smooth ride upscale finishes, smooth ride quality, and enough tech to make quality, and enough tech to make your passengers think you’re doing your passengers think you’re doing much better financially than you much better financially than you probably are. It cruises to Spring probably are. It cruises to Spring Training games, airport runs, Training games, airport runs, and weekend road trips with the and weekend road trips with the confidence of a guy wearing loafers confidence of a guy wearing loafers without socks and somehow pulling without socks and somehow pulling it off. it off. Performance-wise, nobody’s Performance-wise, nobody’s confusing this thing for a track confusing this thing for a track weapon, and that’s perfectly weapon, and that’s perfectly fine. The Tiguan SEL is more fine. The Tiguan SEL is more “effortlessly competent” than “look “effortlessly competent” than “look at me bro.” It’s quiet, comfortable, at me bro.” It’s quiet, comfortable, and composed, which honestly and composed, which honestly matters way more when you’re matters way more when you’re sitting in Phoenix traffic wondering sitting in Phoenix traffic wondering why everyone suddenly forgot how why everyone suddenly forgot how merging works. The funniest part merging works. The funniest part is that it gets dangerously close is that it gets dangerously close to entry-level luxury SUVs without to entry-level luxury SUVs without fully detonating your bank account. fully detonating your bank account. Sure, if you mash the gas pedal Sure, if you mash the gas pedal you’ll eventually remember this you’ll eventually remember this isn’t a German rocket ship. But isn’t a German rocket ship. But for around forty-something grand for around forty-something grand and 30 MPG on the highway, and 30 MPG on the highway, the Tiguan SEL feels like the the Tiguan SEL feels like the automotive version of finding a automotive version of finding a happy hour that accidentally pours happy hour that accidentally pours doubles. doubles. Comfort: Value: Fuel Economy: Looks: The Drive: Safety & Security: Overall: Sound System: Bells & Whistles: Cannabis 101 Here’s the difference between the various types of THC. BY AARON W. HARRISON | THE CONVERSATION H emp products have exploded across the United States, even in the majority of states where recreational marijuana remains illegal. This surge came after the 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and made cannabis prod- ucts derived from hemp, defined as those containing less than 0.3% delta-9 tetrahy- drocannabinol – commonly known as THC – legal. But the types of THC prod- ucts available and the regulations around them, which vary by state, can be confusing. A common question I get as a chemist is about the differences between the various delta THCs, and about the actual amounts of THC in the available products. There’s delta-8, delta-9, delta-10 and THCA. The amounts of THC in legally infused drinks and edibles also varies, with products most often containing 5 or 10 milligrams. Knowing the difference between these compounds, and how much THC is in what you’re buying, goes a long way toward making informed choices as a consumer. THC compounds are a subset of canna- binoids, which include any compound that interacts with the cannabinoid receptors in your body. THC is technically a family of compounds including delta-8, delta-9 and delta-10 THC, which all have similar chemical structures and are psychoactive – meaning they can alter your mood and perception and produce a “high.” However, not all cannabinoids are psychoactive. For example, cannabidiol, or CBD, interacts with the same receptors, but through different mechanisms, so it does not produce a high. TCHA, or 9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, is the major cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. THCA itself does not produce a high, however. It first needs to undergo a chemical reaction that generates a psychoactive compound: delta-9 THC. These two compounds have different chemical structures. THCA has an extra group of atoms attached that must be removed to produce delta-9 THC. Under heat, this group breaks away from the rest of the compound, creating delta-9 THC. So, when the plant is burned or cooked, THCA transforms into delta-9 THC. The 2018 Farm Bill measured only the delta-9 THC – not THCA – present in a hemp plant. So a hemp plant could have, say, 25% THCA and only 0.2% delta-9 THC and still be legal, as it has less than 0.3% delta-9 THC. But as soon as you heat it, the THCA will convert to psychoactive delta-9 THC. However, in November 2025, the Agriculture Appropriations Act rede- fined hemp by limiting the total THC, including THCA, to 0.3% on a dry weight basis. This new rule will go into effect in November 2026 and significantly affect the potency of smokable hemp products. In the plant itself, the cannabinoids make up a large percentage of the flower’s dry weight. High-potency cannabis strains have THCA concentrations from 20% to 30% by dry weight – far above the 0.3% total THC threshold. This redefinition would effec- tively render the majority of these products illegal under federal law. The math for edibles like gummies and seltzers is different, so the dry weight rule alone does not affect these products. Consider a 12-ounce THC-infused drink: The total dry weight of the product would only need to be about 3.3 grams per 10 milli- grams of delta-9 THC – a common higher- end dosage – to fall at exactly the 0.3% threshold. A 12-ounce can of seltzer weighs around 355 grams, so 10 milligrams of delta-9 THC in a 12-ounce drink easily passes the weight threshold. Even a very small edible like a gummy easily meets this weight threshold. For instance, a single Starburst candy weighs 5 grams, well above the 3.3-gram minimum needed for a 10-milligram dose to be under the 0.3% limit. To close this loophole, the new law adds a separate rule: Any final hemp-derived product containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container is no longer legal. That’s well below a single dose of any commercially marketed THC beverage or edible. However, the debate isn’t over. Lawmakers introduced amended legis- lation in April 2026 that will give states autonomy in hemp regulation as opposed to a blanket federal ban. Delta-8 and delta-10 THC are what chemists call isomers of the delta-9 THC. They have the same chemical formula but different chemical structures. It’s hard to even tell the difference looking at the molecules. One of the double bonds just shifts its position by one spot in the ring. Like delta-9, delta-8 and delta-10 THC are also psychoactive and bind cannabinoid receptors in the body in a similar way. While they do occur naturally in cannabis plants, the concentrations are far lower than THCA and delta-9 THC. For commercial products, they must be produced syntheti- cally, which has raised concerns about chemical contamination from manufacturing. Some evidence suggests that these alter- nate forms are less potent than delta-9, but scientists will need to conduct more research to determine whether that’s true. Aaron W. Harrison is an assistant professor of chemistry at Trinity University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. | CANNABIS |
