Is there a difference?

[TheMetal1]

I have heard numerous people say that the bud nowadays is blah blah times stronger than it was 40-50 years ago. Are there any older members out there that can shed some light on this? People I know, and even just on The Daily Show, talk about it being like grass clippings. I have been victim to a shitty bag of shake in my younger days, don't get me wrong :jointsmile:... but there is a difference between all bud being crap, and a lot of ignorant people getting ripped the hell off. :stoned:

I find it hard to believe that the quality and potency could have increased exponentially in such a short period, relative to the overall time Cannabis has been around.

I mean, how new is all this technical mumbo jumbo that we all spew out while trying to improve and perfect the growth cycle of this wonderful plant?
Is it really the new and dangerous "Skunk" form of Cannabis? hahaha ;)

Stay :D and Keep :jointsmile:

[jsn9333]

From what I can tell all this talk of stronger weed is mostly bullshit hype meant to be used as propaganda in the "war on drugs". One of the primary sources I've heard it from is in DEA press releases and in popular media outlets... and we all know how accurate both those sources are. I even watched a foxnews story about a grow bust in Florida, and they interviewed a DEA agent who said "This isn't the marijuana we grew up with... this is 10 times strong... this stuff will kill you." :wtf: Foxnews didn't even fact check his words or clarify the story in any way (like mentioning there is not one documented death from cannabis overdose... ever).

I believe Northern Lights was first bread in the 1920's. Weed is no stronger today then it ever has been. However, stronger weed might be just be more common nowadays. I won't deny that. And it seems pretty obvious why. No longer do you have to risk revealing your identity by purchasing a book to learn about growing. You can just go online and all the info is there... you can even order seeds! So more and more people know how to get a hold of quality seeds and grow sensimilla. It isn't that we've managed to create stronger plants, its just that more people have access to the information needed to grow good weed.

Anyone who thinks higher quality marijuana is somehow more dangerous then lower quality marijuana was probably too stupid to get a hold of a decent bag of bud 20 years ago and is still too stupid to think for themselves for even a split second. God help them.



I have heard numerous people say that the bud nowadays is blah blah times stronger than it was 40-50 years ago. Are there any older members out there that can shed some light on this? . . .

[happiestmferoutthere]

I've been smoking about 30 years or so, and although I agree the skunk weed these days is killer, I used to smoke some Colombian Gold back in the day that made me hallucinate. For real! No pot has ever come close to getting me that high since, so I'm not sure I agree weed is stronger these days. Just different.

[Breukelen advocaat]

I prefer the outdoor-grown stuff from back then: Black Gunji (Inida), VERY good Mexicans, Thai Sticks, Columbian Golds and Red, Belieze, great hash from Nepal and Tibet, good hash from Lebanon, Afghanistan and (sometimes) Morocco, and other areas. Today's stuff is very good, and I'm glad to have it, but there's something about imports - they all had very distinct characteristics such as color, high, taste, smell, etc - more so than most of the domestic varieties available now. Not all of them are "stronger" than their modern counterparts, as in THC level, but they often made up for that with a refreshing, happy, trippy high. Some of the new strains remind me of those days.

I've also wondered how well some of the old imported types of weed would work if vaped. :rasta:

[silkyblue]

prefer the outdoor-grown stuff from back then: Black Gunji (Inida), VERY good Mexicans, Thai Sticks, Columbian Golds and Red, Belieze, great hash from Nepal and Tibet, good hash from Lebanon, Afghanistan and (sometimes) Morocco, and other areas. Today's stuff is very good, and I'm glad to have it, but there's something about imports - they all had very distinct characteristics such as color, high, taste, smell, etc - more so than most of the domestic varieties available now. Not all of them are "stronger" than their modern counterparts, as in THC level, but they often made up for that with a refreshing, happy, trippy high. Some of the new strains remind me of those days.


__________________
Legalize it!



I totally agree with the above para I and hubby have been herbalist
alot of years, we quit for 10 years to rasie our two daughters.

Now that theyve been in their 30's both their men smoke herbs, one daughter does and one daughter doesnt the one that doesnt she said the ground moves when she smokes.

What a buzz!



thinking back.....
the wonderful 70's when life was simple and ya dint have ta piss in a cup, poop in a cup, give a blood sample, or have your hair jerked from your head

your and my privacy was respected then... wtf happend? Commuinism set in?



the 1970's
'when a nickel bag was five stinky dollars and a dime bag was ten stinky dollars and MAUI tai and hashish were running freely.

The herbs today at one hundred stinky dollars a quarter wtf! who jacked the prices up??

herbs now look like lil pine trees if its green
herbs dint wook wike dat in the 1970

[TurnyBright]

The propaganda-machine caters to emotions, not reason, and the idea of a "stronger" drug raises the idea of danger in the casual listener's mind.

Even if this claim were not a total lie, anyone who sat down to think about it would realize that it is actually saying that modern marijuana is less harmful than it was in the past. This is because the only real health issue that doctors can claim as a negative for weed is the fact that smoke inhalation is detrimental to the lungs. A more potent form of marijuana requires to smoker to take in less smoke to gain the desired effect than a less potent variety would.

I'm tempted to write a letter to the DEA posing as an anti-drug citizen telling them that they are inadvertently advertising weed as safer than it was in the past.

[TheMetal1]

I've been smoking about 30 years or so, and although I agree the skunk weed these days is killer, I used to smoke some Colombian Gold back in the day that made me hallucinate. For real!
That's what I'm looking for. :thumbsup:


.... the outdoor-grown stuff from back then: Black Gunji (Inida), VERY good Mexicans, Thai Sticks, Columbian Golds and Red, Belieze, great hash from Nepal and Tibet, good hash from Lebanon, Afghanistan and (sometimes) Morocco, and other areas. Today's stuff is very good, and I'm glad to have it, but there's something about imports - they all had very distinct characteristics such as color, high, taste, smell, etc
Damn, you just took me on a sensory journey :jointsmile:


your and my privacy was respected then... wtf happend? Commuinism set in?
Well said :hippy:

I won't even bother quoting TurnyBright, because it's all goood :rasta: (so was everyone else! I just got quote crazy here :stoned:)
I think it is great that we are becoming extremely critical thinkers and using great creativity, in a way, due to our struggle with Cannabis laws. Eventually, "they" will run out of excuses as to why things are... the way they are :thumbsup: They tell us that our modern buds are just toooo strong... we say "Yeah, so we don't have to ingest as much... limiting the potentially harmful effects of inhaling smoke. Duhhhh!" Isn't that what technology and progress tries to facilitate? Improved quality and efficiency to speed up our lives into hyperdrive... so we can stay competitive in this world? Cigarette companies aren't trying to improve the efficiency of their product so you don't have to smoke so many to achieve satisfaction. They improve potency so that you smoke MORE. Seriously, it equates to the analogy of Extra Strength Tylenol being dangerous because it is STRONGER :wtf:
Basically, our government is treating its adult population as though they are not able to take care of their own body. They believe that, without THEIR help, we would inevitably die because we simply lack the common sense to stop doing things that FUCK OUR LIVES UP! Cannabis does NOT fuck my life up. The only time it DID fuck my life up... is when ya motha fuckin fucks put those fashionable fucking bracelets on me for blowin fucking smoke rings in the woods, down by a river... walking... not driving... picking up trash and beer cans that all those "responsible drinkers" left.

I shit you fucking not :mad:

Ahhh... where did that rant come from?

[silkyblue]

you go dude
we should ALL write those letters



but all in all 'smoke ain medicine'

[TheMetal1]

but all in all 'smoke ain medicine'

With that statement, I could argue that many medications and treatments can have serious side effects, due to the way in which it is applied.

Example:
Radiation therapy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_therapy#Medium_and_long-term_side_effects)

One of the potential side effects of radiotherapy can be cancer. :wtf:

Just because a pharmaceutical company hasn't created a medication that requires combustion to activate... doesn't mean it 'aint medicine.'

Also, Cannabis and Smoke are not synonyms... ;)

Nothing personal... just trying to address all issues related to the argument. :hippy:

[trancefusion5]

Basically, our government is treating its adult population as though they are not able to take care of their own body. They believe that, without THEIR help, we would inevitably die because we simply lack the common sense to stop doing things that FUCK OUR LIVES UP! Cannabis does NOT fuck my life up. The only time it DID fuck my life up... is when ya motha fuckin fucks put those fashionable fucking bracelets on me for blowin fucking smoke rings in the woods, down by a river... walking... not driving... picking up trash and beer cans that all those "responsible drinkers" left.

I shit you fucking not :mad:

Ahhh... where did that rant come from?

Thats some messed up shit right there! And i couldnt have summed it up better. :thumbsup:

[GreenDestiny]

Too bad I'm not old enough to know what it was like back in the 70's or before then...

I certainly do hope that by selective breeding they are making it more potent, but it'd be such an extremely slow process. I read about some strains having at least 30% THC levels, which is double the average amount of most. With no scientific data to backup how strong things were in the distant past, and only going on the fading memories of older stoners (no disrespect intended), it's hard to tell if things really have gotten stronger or not.

Give it another few decades and then we'll be able to see the data to know if it really is getting better, without genetic modifications. I got my fingers crossed. Hopefully the natural genetic potential hasn't leveled out yet... But THC ain't shit without a good balance of other cannabinoids to go with it. CBD is more important to me...

[Reefer Rogue]

Propagandists say this and they're idiots. For example, they say weed is 3-4-5 times stronger then it used to be when they used crappy NIDA samples of schwagg with seeds and stems which were at most like 5 % thc. Anyone saying weed is 5 times stronger is a moron. Take a potent strain which has 15% thc, if it was 5 times stronger, then this would equal 75% thc which isn't true. Now take a 21% strain if it's 5 x stronger then that's 105% thc which is impossible. Don't buy into any government bullshit. The reality is, that with advancing technology and cross breeds there are more potent varieties available then there were, but not by much. They had dank back in the sixties as well. Even with this new found 'super skunk' the higher the thc, the less one needs to consume to feel high, therefore one smokes less the more potent the cannabis, thus, less potential lung damage. These people just don't know what they're talking about.

[SnSstealth]

but all in all 'smoke ain medicine'
Then why does your quote say legalize medicinal cannabis? You dont believe its a medicine? Im sure almost EVREYONE on here, myself included may disagree with ya there. And with this site being geared towards medicinal use of cannabis....why are you here if you dont think so? My father has to "shoot up" his insulin...does that make it non-medical because he uses it that way? People shoot up heroin. And how about ingesting cannabis, or balms, tinctures, sprays even...MANY different ways to get it in ya.....
sorry to jump off subject, kinda hit a lil nerve there. As a BROAD statement...I would definitely say your average nug is stronger...through breeding. Not to say there werent some POTENT strains back in the day, hell, DJ Short made Blueberry is 79 I think. So if you were to take 100 random bags 20 years ago, and pit them against 100 random bags now, yes...they would be "stronger"...IMO that is...
:joint1:
whiskeytango

[TheMagnanimous]

I think you guys are a little bit confused. There has ALWAYS been high potency cannabis, and low potency cannabis. 20-30 years ago there was LESS high potency cannabis "available" than low potency cannabis, so the AVERAGE was relatively low. Nowadays, the AVERAGE potency is significantly higher, because there is MORE high potency pot "available" than there used to be.

It is hypothesized that this is because of improved growing techniques, which may or may not be the case, but as far as the AVERAGE THC% increasing over the past 20 years, this is indisputable.

Marijuana more potent than ever | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/06/marijuana-more.html)

[silkyblue]

smoke ain medicine





I knew somebody would get their underoos in a wad over that one'


NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUSHED HUH?


Im sorry

[SnSstealth]

I think you guys are a little bit confused. There has ALWAYS been high potency cannabis, and low potency cannabis. 20-30 years ago there was LESS high potency cannabis "available" than low potency cannabis, so the AVERAGE was relatively low. Nowadays, the AVERAGE potency is significantly higher, because there is MORE high potency pot "available" than there used to be.

It is hypothesized that this is because of improved growing techniques, which may or may not be the case, but as far as the AVERAGE THC% increasing over the past 20 years, this is indisputable.

Marijuana more potent than ever | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/06/marijuana-more.html)

Who's confused. Isn't your post saying the EXACT same thing as mine?
whiskeytango

[SnSstealth]

I knew somebody would get their underoos in a wad over that one'
NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUISHED HUH?
What good deed? I just asked you why you were contradicting yourself is all...
and again, saying cannabis isn't medication, on a medicinal cannabis site...kinda odd? may get a few more "underoos wadded"
whiskeytango

[stinkyattic]

^^Right!
High-potency strains have existed in remote corners of the world for aeons, but it's just in the recent decades that it was possible for interested pot lovers to track them down and start working with them- a few inventions have greatly improved that: The airplane, the hippie, the Beatles and their popularisation of all things Eastern and exotic, the HID light, etc... hahaha
So we have to thank decades of travellers for bringing back the seeds that have increased out THC levels in modern weed!

[silkyblue]

How can you put smoke in a medicine bottle was my point

whiskeytango

cheers dude

[SunnyD]

How can you put radiation in a bottle?

You can put the substance in the bottle...but the substance isn't what you want, it's what the substance does

And smoke isn't the only way to consume it either

[3rdEyeVision]

im pretty young, but in my opinion it's not the weed that's getting better, it's just the growers. people are putting in so much more time, and money, and expensive equipment, and special chemicals etc. it only makes sense that the weed they grow is better than the weed that was grown 40 years ago. Herb can't evolve to get that much stronger by itself, the better the growers are the better the bud will be.