Marijuana Is Too Strong Now - The Atlantic

ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net to Trees@lemmy.world – 53 points – Marijuana Is Too Strong Now
theatlantic.com

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.

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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.

It's pseudo legal, and the free market has spoken. People want stronger

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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%.

I prefer some delta 8 for that reason now days. If you shop around for CBD strains, you can score some single digits D9 THC occasionally. What I miss is some old school creeper weed.

Creepers are dangerous... 😂 Did you smoke enough? Or are you going to a new planet in 15 minutes.

me: "I think I have had enough"

the creeper: "HAHAH sucker, you had enough a while ago. Get ready to rubble!!!!!!!"

Another point on this. CBD and THC content are inversely correlated. So high TCH will almost always result in very low CBD. So instead of getting the high + relax you just get high.

One of the best weed I've ever smoked was "shit weed" which put me into a "relax and enjoy life" mood. I really want weed to be legalised so that people will start producing weaker weed with high CBD content.

THC percentage in isolation means nothing - if it did, you could easily use less, like you don't chug booze like it's beer. The problem is the disturbing ratio of THC to the many other contents, especially the anti-psychotic CBD.

It's easy not to pack the bowl full of the strong weed, but it has become hard to avoid the strains that make me paranoid and probably drive a teenager to psychosis.

The solution is to legalize and mandate warnings on the packaging, and other safety measures such as different age limits on different strains.

No teenager can legally buy cannabis. 21 seems to be the prevailing age limit. What different age limits do you suggest? edit: My question was in reference to this comment's suggestions about age limits before the edit. This suggestion was removed.

Not suggesting, only speculating, but it seems pure CBD should be easily available (it is here), and psycho-weeds should be at the other end of the limit spectrum. Maybe "extra bad for teenage brains" on the packet of those strains in addition to the age limit. Or it could be a gene test, assuming it was known which genes interact badly with which molecules.

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.

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.

with consequences including hospitalizations for chronic vomiting

This was me learning to set my limit when I was 15yo. Every time I smoked, I puked. Same thing when I started drinking alcohol. Puked every time.

I can now smoke (cautiously) and drink (mightily) without issue. I think the real issue is changing cultural expectations about how much THC can be consumed at what rate. No more huge bong rips.

It's almost like it was illegal to do any research on cross breeding strains for potency for a long time.

Sorry our science got better while cannabis was prohibited over some racial bs for 80+ years.

The same story with psychedelic research, the promising results of the years leading up to prohibition were terminated from one day to the next.

We know that these substances are the only medication that is efficacious for treatment resistant depression and indicated for many other disorders.

The problem, as ever, is conservatives making choices they don't understand for everyone else.

No. The explanation is that prohibition makes markets. If you're gonna risk getting caught you might as well hype your shit and turn a higher profit.

Otherwise there'd barely be adulterated weed.

How does this track with legal marketplaces?

I can buy weed that tests at 38% here if u wanted to, legally.

If you can't handle your weed it's a skill issue.

Do any of these journalists realize you can just smoke less?

Potent weed is better for you, because you have to inhale less plant matter for the same effect.

If I have to smoke a whole blunt of 15% weed to get high I am doing way more damage than a single hit of 35% weed from a bong.

Agree to disagree, especially if you tried the synthetic shit back before the analog law came into effect (don't try the stuff that bypasses the laws; you will have a bad time). It made THC feel like coffee, and permanently wrecked my tolerance. It's been 10 years and I still need 500mg+ of pure THC distillate to feel anything. I need stronger weed.

What you need is to pause your consumption for at least a couple of weeks.

Tolerance you need to build up, but you can also build it down

I would but I have a job and can't sleep without it. I've been a chronic insomniac my entire life. I literally never had a good night's sleep before I discover the wonders of cannabis indica in my 20s.

I read a while ago that the landraces of cannabis that were used sacramentally by Rastafarians in Jamaica are believed to be extinct, replaced by more profitable high-THC varieties grown by organised crime for export to US consumers.