In 2022, the federal government reported that, in samples seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration, average levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC—the psychoactive compound in weed that makes you feel high—had more than tripled compared with 25 years earlier, from 5 to 16 percent. That may understate how strong weed has gotten. Walk into any dispensary in the country, legal or not, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a single product advertising such a low THC level. Most strains claim to be at least 20 to 30 percent THC by weight; concentrated weed products designed for vaping can be labeled as up to 90 percent.
The high that most adult weed smokers remember from their teenage years is most likely one produced by “mids,” as in, middle-tier weed. In the pre-legalization era, unless you had a connection with access to top-shelf strains such as Purple Haze and Sour Diesel, you probably had to settle for mids (or, one step down, “reggie,” as in regular weed) most of the time. Today, mids are hard to come by.
The simplest explanation for this is that the casual smokers who pine for the mids and reggies of their youth aren’t the industry’s top customers. Serious stoners are. According to research by Jonathan P. Caulkins, a public-policy professor at Carnegie Mellon, people who report smoking more than 25 times a month make up about a third of marijuana users but account for about two-thirds of all marijuana consumption. Such regular users tend to develop a high tolerance, and their tastes drive the industry’s cultivation decisions.
This article feels like it was written by an old man yelling at clouds. “… Back in my day we smoked mid and we liked it” shakes fist and then uses it as a reason to go back to prohibition. Why can’t we just make it legal and let the free market figure it out.
Turns out more THC for the buck means people can make a few months supply of edibles out of a few grams. Cost effective!
This is such bad reporting about cannabis that it makes me think The Atlantic probably has very poor standards for all their articles.
Leftists have been calling out the Atlantic’s poor reporting for a while now, history just has a weird way of always proving them right.
I’d call it more of an opinion piece than actual reporting or journalism but it’s still dumb.
I do agree with the old man yelling sentiment, but in fairness to the article it has ,imo, become a lot easier to get too high in the last decade. By that I mean becoming uncomfortably high. As a daily user for the last decade I smoke mainly because it has been the only reliable way to help me sleep I’ve ever tried, but I honestly enjoy being high as well.
I have issues with anxiety though and it definitely is really easy to accidentally overdo it. I’ve seen this sentiment grow in a minor portion of the community.
Luckily it’s a super super easy fix, add cbd bud. When I was reading scientific lit I saw many journal articles that discussed cbds ability to help with thc side effects. I don’t feel like digging them up right now.
It’s pseudo legal, and the free market has spoken. People want stronger
i think the jump compared to 20-30 years ago is like 10x or something which they are finding very hard to handle.
also the balance of thc/cbd has changed massively - almost no cbd
i have noticed that lower thc and higher cbd is more available so i think the free market is catering to the old heads
Because it’s gotten so much stronger, I actually smoke less to get to that “sweet spot,” which saves me money.
Won’t catch me complaining.
Besides that I just grow the weed I want to consume. Legalization is great 💖
Nice! Wish I could do that 😅
Can confirm, legally growing your own weed is the best. It is a beautiful plant and gardening is a great, relaxing hobby.
Just look at my nice ladyplant here.
That is a legit beast, my compliments!
It’s beautiful 🥹❤️
I’ve been growing in Virginia for a few years now and I’m blown away with what you can make at home.
I compared it to expensive weed from a dispensary and it is way better. No machine trimmed bullshit full of plant growth regulators that can cause cancer.
Unfortunately I’ll be moving to a Prohibition State soon, going to suck to give it up but worth it for the lower rent
Sounds like someone has never ever ever set foot in a dispensary and asked for a “low thc high CBD strain”.
Total nonsense that contradicts my literal past lived experience, and probably my experience this afternoon.
While the majority of products I see at dispensaries are high THC. There are always some lower options. Currently getting shake at $30 to $40/ounce and it’s about little above “mid”. 15% THC but I assume because it’s shake only, it’s slightly lower like 12%.
Context is king, and I’m in Victoria BC. I guess it’s down the the density of the dispensaries 🌲🌲🌲
They are legion here so we’re not short on options.
I buy online and get lots of different strains and mixes. I was in Colorado recently - stopped in a dispensary and asked for some type 2…blank stare.
This argument shows up every few years and its always been BS. Not that weed doesn’t get stronger, but it always fails to mention how the majority of people simply consume less. This happened when growers figured out sinsemilla (seedless) weed. This happened when continued cross breeding techniques and lab testing became more regular in the horticulture aspect of the business. This happened when vape pens, dabbing, and further concentration methods showed up. Ultimately it’s up to the adults consuming these products to determine how much is “too much” or “too strong”.
Am I for bigger warnings on packages? Yes. Am I for heavier regulation of the industry as a whole? Definitely. Am I for having honest respectful conversations with teenagers and kids about the pros and cons of drugs use that doesn’t demonize nor glorify it? Hell yes. And ultimately, am I for responsible use? Absofuckinglutely.
But I get so fucking annoyed by seeing that this kind of scare tactic article shows up every few years, pretty much beat for beat trying to demonize the drug exactly the same bs article, every time…every few years. No new news. No new insights. Just the same old shit with slightly updated data. We get it, the weed is stronger. Its because people started to give more of a shit about the quality of what they were putting into their bodies. That’s because the cannabis industry became more legitimate and regulated. That’s a good thing.
Now I’ve got my criticisms of the modern cannabis industry, but it has more to do with my problems with how capitalism encourages oligopolistic practices, which definitely has manifested in the cannabis industry here in the States.
But I’m definitely not complaining about the fact the weed is stronger. I can go out and buy ether alcohol and drink myself to death way quicker than with a bottle of vodka. It doesn’t mean I think ether shouldn’t be available. If I want to kill myself with ether alcohol, I’m an adult, I’m informed on what ether alcohol is and the dangers of using it. I should have the freedom to use it as I see fit. Same with strong ass cannabis.
The mg and percentages are right there on the package, you’ve got more research available today from legitimate chemists on the subject you can look up right now. Read that and make your decisions off of that, not this trash. At least then you could truly say you were making an Educated decision.
Their explanation is pretty dumb. The main driver for more concentrated drugs in general is money. If you can make more money with less material, its going to be easier to transport, hide, trade. Thats what drug cartels care about. To be blunt the reason cannabis is more potent now is because it was/is illegal.
Like exactly the same thing happened during alcohol prohibition. Beer disappeared, and spirits got harder and harder.
Seriously, what is up with us as a species? Are we still adapting to being able to record history?
Are we still adapting to being able to record history?
History? We barely remember yesterday’s mistakes…
They also claim that all sour diesel strains are top shelf without considering the quality of the growing process at all.
No bro, its “serious stoners”
What? But the volume is the same. It’s not like people are buying smaller amounts they’re just smoking stronger stuff.
Best way to balance this is to buy some cbd bud and mix it in to return it to healthier levels.
Citation needed
Well I’m in the UK but people have been smoking the same amounts for the past ~15 years when grass became popular. Before then it was much denser ‘soapbar’ hash. Grass is a lot harder to smuggle and takes up more volume so it’s not being driven by that.
Those responsible for 2/3 of consumption have had their tolerance pushed up by rising THC levels the past 15 years, but they’re still buying the same amounts every month. The inbalance between THC/CBD is also causing a lot more anxiety and psychiatric symptoms to emerge and pushing people away from it.
I believe there’s some efforts in legal states to move away from the high-THC strains causing these issues, so you’re right that the illegality is ultimately causing these terrible practices.
1, This is not a citation
2, This is bullshit. All of it.
Cut it out.
I was citing the original article where it’s stated. It says it’s increased to match the tolerance of the people who consume 2/3rds of the product not some nonsensical fantasy it’s being done to make it easier to ship.
Maybe tackle it like the UK does tackle sugar, tax higher after a certain amount of THC?
If you take one peek in any grower community you will see that that is not the case. This isn’t cocaine. Growers do not seek just THC, they seek to improve trichome development in general. This includes flavor molecules, Entourage chemicals, and the main chemicals that you know of.
We refer to ourselves as trichome growers, not cannabis growers.
Im sure for recreational or small scale growers this is true, but i doubt that big drug operations care about quality as much. As long as you only use it yourself, you can grow and breed it to whatever needs you have ofcourse.
homegrown is the way
no nasty pesticides, no PGRs, no machine trimming.
This is such a wild stance to take. “The quality of recreational cannabis has improved, and we’re mad about it!” If it’s too strong, just use less. Skill issue
I’m not sure that quality and potency are synonymous.
Ever heard about other terpenes?
This is good, IMO. People don’t have to smoke as much, so less damage is done to their lungs. Vapes, edibles, and concentrates that are not combusted are probably even less damaging.
Ugh, they used the word ‘marijuana’. Foreshadowing.
So meta
I heard this ‘marijuana is too strong now’ argument back in the 90s i swear to God.
Don’t do serial vodka shots if you don’t want to get drunk in a hurry. Don’t smoke a bunch of 30% weed if you don’t want to get way too high.
The point they’re trying to make is that it’s pretty fucking hard finding anything below 20% these days.
At my local weed store this afternoon, they had a special: 2 cent joints. 16.5%. They also have a grandma tier that’s just lower concentrations and CBD heavy strains. It sucks that apparently isn’t universal.
my local weed store
Yeah I mean just this is a utopia in most places
Yep. When I used to smoke I could ENJOY a whole joint. If I still smoked I doubt I could do a single hit without tapping out.
Isn’t it better to smoke less? Think about how much less tar you are inhaling by getting higher off less puffs
Eh part of being a smoker is enjoying the act of smoking. I very much miss the old potencies and cannot handle the new stuff in any amount.
I guess that’s a thing for older smokers, but IDK anyone who wants to have to inhale MORE tar to get the same level of high. I am probably going to be smashing my harvests into live resin in the future just to avoid smoking plant
Okay who had to write this for their public service hours instead of going to jail
Since computers are too strong, websites only need seconds to load.
No one can read that fast, so this is a problem.
I actually miss the old Mexican brick weed from thirty years ago. It could give you a headache, but otherwise, the high it produced of everything being hilarious doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Modern weed pretty much makes me instantly catatonic.
Further, I don’t know if it’s age, but a single bong rip will send me into violent fits of coughing that frequently render me running outside to puke.
I’ve stopped smoking entirely in favor of edibles due to the coughing thing. The edibles still knock me the hell out. I don’t know how the younger set wakes and bakes and carries on with their day with the modern stuff.
Tolerance is kind of the only reason I’ve been able to enjoy ridiculously strong weed. Otherwise, like you said, I’m just catatonic. These days, I need to consume such a small amount (I’m talking 5mg edible) when I don’t have a tolerance.
But I take 1 puff off a joint and that’s when I find that beautiful high where everything is funny, and I still am able to talk to my friends.
Seriously, with this strong ass weed, less is more.
I don’t know how the younger set wakes and bakes and carries on with their day with the modern stuff.
It was tough lemme tell ya. I hadta set goals, show up every day and give it 110%.
Im no hero, i just care, yaknow? You too can achieve, just do what i did. Set your mind to it and put in a little work daily and greatness will come
It sounds like you’re looking for a really uplifting sativa / haze the get the giggling feeling. The mainstream strains have been crossbred so much you’ll probably have to look a bit to find a classic lineage.
Just smoke less. Take one hit of potent weed and it will feel like an entire joint of that trash you are used to
They can fuck right off, I enjoy going to outer space on half a joint.
Marijuana has been getting stronger for a long time according to news outlets. I remember seeing a collection of reports on stronger marijuana from different decades. Multiplying those “x times stronger” tells us, that marijuana is now 2000 times stronger and consists of at least 200% THC or something like that.
Does anyone have the original calculations and references? It was hilarious.
