Marijuana is now 25 percent stronger than it was five decades ago, study finds

submitted by Nemacolin from nydailynews.com

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[–]ReeferMadness 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

That seems a bit low. Maybe I was lied to but I have been hearing for a long time that it's at many times the strength.

[–]jet199 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Probably because the press usually compare skunk/hash today to weed in the sixties.

[–]RuckFeddit 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

that's nearly 5 decades ago right? Most stuff sold on the street nowadays varies from 10-15%, but if you have a good contact it goes up to 25%. I refuse to believe anything sold on the streets in the 70s went beyond 10% THC. The truth is you don't know the potency until you smoke it. 25% THC will blow your fucking head off even if you are a daily smoker.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Last stuff I got was 31% with a COA from a Colorado dispensary. Whether you're smoking 5-6% thc dirt weed or premium bud, people smoke till they're high. The stronger stuff just makes it a few puffs rather than blowing down on a cheech n chong sized joint. People are getting the same amount of high as they ever have.

[–]RuckFeddit 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

This is total bullshit. A single bong hit of 31% THC weed will have you in space for hours. An entire joint of garbage weed might give you a slight buzz and a headache. This is for a regular user.

People's tolerance nowadays is through the roof, so it's all relative.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I don't normally smoke anymore, the 31% stuff was strong but it wasn't crazy.

[–]JuliusCaesar225 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The more the THC percentage rises the more it alters the rest of the cannabinoid percentages. That is something most don't realize. They think the only difference is it gets you high quicker. It is a different effect. I bet the super high THC weed has increased anxiety issues associated with marijuana use.

[–]Nemacolin[S] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

In these dark times, we welcome good news.

Researchers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom recently examined 80,000 cannabis samples from various spots in the world, including the U.S., Netherlands, U.K., France, Denmark, Italy, and New Zealand. They discovered that cannabis consumers are probably getting a lot higher these days than when Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter were still leading the country.

The findings, which were published in the recent journal Addiction, shows higher concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, since the early 1970s. THC is the psychoactive compound of the cannabis plant responsible for getting a person stoned. Researchers claim that weed has consistently gotten stronger over the past fifty years. The team found a 14% increase in flower strength between 1970 and 2017 and a 24% increase in resin potency since 1975.

Meanwhile, the concentration of America’s popular compound CBD is the same as it has always been.

The latest study is a testament to how growers sometimes look to increase potency to provide the consumer with the illusion of a quality product. But stronger doesn’t always mean better, especially when cannabis is being used to treat various medical conditions, including anxiety and insomnia. Many cannabis users throughout the years have reported better results with strains higher in CBD.

So why is weed getting stronger?

This is mostly because cannabis cultivators now have a better understanding of what makes the plant flourish during the grow process. And as a result, cannabis crops are healthier than they were back then. It is also worth mentioning that the weed of the 1970s probably only contained around 2% THC — not nearly enough to get people as stoned as they have been since legalization started across the United States.

There is also something to be said for how genetics are understood, allowing growers to essentially dictate various outcomes of the plant. The science surrounding cannabis cultivation is just more advanced than fifty years ago, plain and simple.

[–]RuckFeddit 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

This part contradicts your original claim...

the weed of the 1970s probably only contained around 2% THC

It's now 10 times that and more.

[–]Nemacolin[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I made no claim.

[–]dissidentrhetoric 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Much better genetics and better growing and drying processes. Much cleaner cannabis is available now than 50 years ago. Back then it was full with seeds and gave you head ache and a bad cough. These days it is a lot cleaner high.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

I'm not sure that's not just propaganda. George Washington used to grow weed and he wrote it was important to separate the male from the female plants. Even back then he knew bud that went to seed sucked in comparison.

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Lots of old timers got shitty bricked up weed from Mexico that did have seeds. That's cool to hear old George knew how to do it though.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I smoked plenty of that brick weed in my youth, I'm just not sure there's much truth to this idea weed is stronger than it ever had been. Sinsemilla, the unseeded female bud, is just a lot more potent and we've known about that a long time.

I suspect we have people saying this who only could get that dirt weed way back when and they're wowed by modern stuff they had no access to previously, not that it didn't exist.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

we have people saying this who only could get that dirt weed way back when and they're wowed by modern stuff they had no access to previously, not that it didn't exist.

Agreed, my mom was smoking mex in the 70s in northern California, I felt kinda bad. She got the Thai sticks sometimes though too.

[–]dissidentrhetoric 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Poor growing techniques and none feminised seeds resulted in female flowers being full with seeds. These days most cannabis that is sold comes from feminised seeds.

[–]PresentableSonInLaw 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

good