Old weed vs nowadays weed

[Lalocomotiva]

Do you think (expecially based on your experience) that 20-30 years ago weeds were as strong as weed we have today?

 

[Lotre]

I think it sure wasn't as strong as nowadays because in the meanwhile humans have created new varieties of weed in order to get stronger buds. But you still can find good old fashioned weed, and as it is less strong I personally prefer it, I find the effects more "psychedelic", or more subtle. And I can smoke big joints. The Amsterdam-like strong weeds are too strong for me to enjoy a big joint.

 

[MichaelVipperman]

Depends on where you are. The plants in India haven't changed much; the plants in Toronto (my city) certainly have.

The overall alkaloid count has risen, the THC/CBD ratio has drastically swung towards THC, and the price has sky-rocketed.

Note that CBD is responsible for many of the anti-anxiety and neuroprotective effects, so there's been concern from the medical community that breeders selecting for high-THC strains is leading to pot that's more likely to cause adverse psychological effects by getting rid of the chemical that keeps pot fairly safe. But the reason they're doing that is because it gets you higher.

The price needs to be kept in mind. Now we pay more for something more compact and more powerful. This is partially due to economic pressures, many of which have been conditioned by prohibition (trying to smuggle larger bags of something light and fluffy is a bad idea, so they select for the densest, strongest stuff they can).

 

[spice]

The Mr. Nice seedbank

http://www.mrnice.nl/dhtml/strains.php


are breeding high CBD strains that are specifically for medical purposes, to improve the overall medicinal benefits.


The 'old' vs. 'new' weed argument is really just a testament to the selective breeding process, as almost all of the super potent strains around today are hybridized between the two subtypes, cannabis indica and cannabis sativa. Modern taxonomy implies that indica is actually a type which evolved from sativa, as seeds found their way to northern latitudes via animals and humans.

When I started smoking in the mid 70's, all the rage was brick red Columbian, which was pure landrace sativa. Throughout the 80's and 90's the importers began using Mexico as their main source, and at first the old cycle of feast/famine predominated, since most Mexican strains had derived from Panama/Columbia landrace sativas;ie; pure strains which had evolved in that particular climate for thousands of years with minimal interference.

The sativas were powerful, but as the 80's progressed, I noticed two things;

1) the feast/famine cycle stopped, there was weed from mexico year round

2) it was indica


I finally realized they were growing the indicas through the winter short season, since indica will produce hard dense flowers in Mexico in the winter.

Most people who consider themselves aficianados likemental aspect of the high that is lacking in the indicas.



It is stronger now, but it was strong then.



(MV- THC and actives are actually 'phenolic' in nature, not alkaloidal, as the contain no Nitrogen-Carbon linkaages. I am aware that there are some very minor alkaloidal components, the predominant ones are terpenes and sesquiterpenes and around 30 or so different phenolic cmpds)

 

[spice]

I conside ruderalis worthless.


ruderalis is used to create auto-flowering strains

 

[IJesusChrist]

6 years ago the shit was weaker than it is now.

"BC bud" is reported to be 30% THC w/w. That is fucking unheard of in the plant kingdom.

 

[HermesTrismegistus]

Over here in Holland the weed get's stronger and stronger every year. There is even found weed, with a potency of 39% thc... :shock:

The dutch government is working on a new law, so that weed may not contain a higher thc potency of 15%, if it is higher then you can find yourself in trouble with the law. Of course this rule is created for the coffeeshops, but weed that contains a higher potency of 15% becomes officially illegal.... :S

The coffeeshops are rebelling indeed, because how can they find out how much thc is in there weed? The research that must be done to find out, will cost lots of money and selling weed becomes again more difficult then it already was.

In Holland the laws are really strange, because although coffeeshops may sell weed to there customers, it is still illegal to grow MJ and even the road from the grower to the coffeeshops, is illegal. And now its even gets harder, since they also need to research there weed before they bring it to the coffeeshop.

The last 10 years it obvious, well the rest of the world becomes more tolerant to MJ, the dutch government is trying to get rid of it.. :S

 

[HermesTrismegistus]

I used google translator, but here is an example of one the newsarticles from a dutch newspaper that we see regularly:

There was great concern about the THC in Dutch marijuana because between 2000 and 2004 the average percentage of THC doubled from 9 percent to 20 percent. Experts questioned whether taking place in cannabis can be harmful to health. Susanne Roads of Mistral in The Hague, part of Parnassia Psycho-medical center had last year in the Algemeen Dagblad that the number of young marijuana abusers can be devoted to high THC content in cannabis. "That is around 20 percent, but there are often peaks at 45 percent. Cannabis with a THC content of 45 percent can be compared to hard drugs."

 

[Cultosaurus]

HermesTrismegistus .. . you have to remember that virtually all news reports are political bullshit. They say things like that to keep the rest of the populace brainwashed into thinking that any cannabis is bad for you. They neglect the truth and spread fear. We know that cannabis is not bad for you, no matter the THC content, the problem is that the people that don't smoke it and don't keep up on news about it will think these reports matter. Stronger pot is no different than some distilled alcohol, people just use less of it for the same effect. Properly done hash has a higher THC content. Comparing strong pot to hard drugs is just another level of fear mongering. That reporter was bought and paid for a long time ago. As was said in song, 'When you listen to fools, the mob rules'. Non-users of cannabis are highly unlikely to go out and seek the truth, they just don't care, so they believe the lies and bullshit.

We have to be fighting the information war just as much as they are. The problem is that we have an almost impossible task of getting proper information out there. Newspapers and other journalistic sources don't print or report our information. Proper pot information stays within the community in cannabis magazines and rarely makes it to mainstream media. That is why it's so difficult to win this war for legalization, too many ignorant people have already been brainwashed and like some small minded clam shell, it's hard to get any proper information into that closed little mind.

Just don't ever give up spreading the truth. Don't let anyone you know believe the lies and government propaganda. The more that we can prove them wrong on the small lies, the more that intelligent people will be willing to accept that we have the truth on our side and that they have been lied to with government propaganda ... responsible people don't like being lied to by government.

"Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it." - Henry David Thoreau

 

[HermesTrismegistus]

Just don't ever give up spreading the truth. Don't let anyone you know believe the lies and government propaganda. The more that we can prove them wrong on the small lies, the more that intelligent people will be willing to accept that we have the truth on our side and that they have been lied to with government propaganda ... responsible people don't like being lied to by government.

That's one the reason why they haven't forbid it yet.... I guess there just to many people who smoke MJ, among them are even lawyers and people on high places etc, so that's probably why the government slowly tries to heat up the pressure. At least, that's my interpretation. But the right wing governments we have seen the last 10 years, are all in for a ban of coffeeshops, thats for sure.

 

[Jahvisions]

I agree with Spice. The ratio has of different alkaloids has changed. Note that the high is very complex effect of many different alkaloids. Maybe with selective breeding the average THC % has risen a little bit but 45% seems like total bullshit.

Some of the landrance sativas are very low in CBD, the first hour you feel nothing and later they can knock you out. Most commercial weeds aren't capable of that. The CBD makes the upcome faster but gives the high a ceilling.

This is what has happend, from a commercial point of view, indicas are more interesting, shorter flowering, relative higher yield and much more forgving. But for a qualitative greater high the sativas are more interesting, more clear, creative, more energy. Although it can be more psychedelic and little more paranoid it doesn't explain speedy heartbeating shit feeling of nowadays weed.

Second lamp are very different from the sun mainly having light in the blue en red spectrum, the soil, the nutriants, this gives a very different profile and less balanced effect.

Third the inside grow gets more organised and that criminals don't give a fuck about your health. Most of them use illegal pesticides.

 

[Cultosaurus]

The problem with some of the arguments here is that there is a misconception that the other Cannabinoids are psychoactive. They are not. CBG, CBD, CBN, C1, C2 and all of the other over 60 cannabinoids are NOT psychoactive. delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the only psychoactive one. Certainly, CBD and the other cannabinoids are medically active and can affect pain, but they do not affect the brain the way that THC does. Even THC is not active until it is heated to over 250 degrees F. But that change is for a different discussion. (THCA must be changed to THC, it drops a molecule).

Cannabis does not, in all my reading, have active alkaloid components. Here is a partial list, which is out of date: http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/c ... nfo2.shtml

 

[merro]

I still smoke only old type of weed m without any pesticid just water and sun outside, and i think thats good!

 

[Cultosaurus]

I still smoke only old type of weed m without any pesticid just water and sun outside, and i think thats good!

I'm definitely a fan of the land races, but there is something to be said of some of the new (last 30 years) cross breeds. I'd love to get my hands on some of the Colombian Golds and Reds, Panama, Californian and Hawaiian Sinsi and Thai that I smoked when I was . . well, way younger. I know there are those seeds out there, but alas . .. I'm poor. I'll get some when I can afford. And that Black Nepalese and Afghani black hash.

But with the medical industry, or at least the enlightened doctors, cross breeds can provide a higher CBD content, for example, for those in pain, or a cross that is between the energy of sativa with the relaxation of indica, and all kinds of other possibilities. It's rather like crossing apples or tomatoes to get the best of what ever two flavors you love the most. And, CBD is not the only consideration. Research is continuing on the other cannabinoids to find what medical areas they are best at helping with. Breeding is what allows that to bring forth those attributes.

 

[UniCOrNjAckiE]

Well in my Opinions In that time We's Not Have As Strong as we have today Because With the time Passage Everything Got's change and In this 20-30 Years Long While man has Create New And Modern Varieties So Nowadays Weeds Stronger...

 

[rosealfanso]

I think today’s weed is "up to 30 times more powerful" than weed in the 60’s and 70’s.

 

[Sticki]

Apparantly the cannabis tested in the 60's was kept in poor conditions prior to testing.

I would probably say that the level of THC produced by modern growers would out weigh the amount of THC produced by old growers based on the better understanding of the grow cycle, Hybridization, Advanced modern nutrients, Hydroponics and of course better indoor lighting which lead to taking the plant into a controlled enviroment and minimising bad stress while increasing the kind of stress like lack of humidity that makes THC production flourish - As it is a natural reaction of the cannabis plant to produce more resin (THC) as a response to the fear its buds will dry out, Hence why Nepal (Probably one of the highest altitudes equating to low humidity) has such a reputation for good hash

So to sum up, I think land race cannabis plants have produced simillar amounts of THC since the dawn of time. One of the strongest, If not the strongest cannabinoid known is Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THC-V). THC-V is found in Thai strains and other asian land races, The onset is 10 times quicker then THC and the potency roughly 10 times greater too.

Cultivated cannabis is most likely to contain that extra edge but its nothing more then selective breeding and as far as I am aware there is no LD-50 and even things like caffiene can give people psychosis if they consume excess amounts.

Final thought, Everything in moderation.

 

[Cultosaurus]

Sticki is indeed correct and rosealfanso is unfortunately wrong.

Although the average potency of 60s and 70s pot was 3 to 5%, today's is still only averaging 12 to 15%. Certainly there are strains that claim to max out at 25%, but . .. I'd sure like to try them. And it would require an expert grower to insure that all the correct growing conditions are met as opposed to someone who just tosses a few seeds into a pot or an open field.

Pot that was properly grown, as a female and not allowed to seed was the same strength in the 60s as it is today. Since the dawn of time, as was suggested. The difference is the growing practices. Back in the 60s and early 70s, it was mostly Mexican and very low quality. But places like Morocco, Tibet, Afghanistan, Thailand and all those exotic locals were growing much better pot that was turned into the classic hash of the day. In the Mexican fields, the plants were grown wild and allowed to be pollinated and thus growing seed, it's potency reduced. Certainly when Colombian became more popular in the late 70s, it was being grown from a better genetic strain in locations with richer volcanic soil and ETC, so potency increased slightly. I think it hit 7 to 9%, but I could be wrong.

Today's averages are higher due to people being able to grow indoors and control the growth cycle and remove the males so that no pollination takes place and that people have better access to the genetics of those hash plants and others that were stronger to begin with. Thus the Sensimilia that we knew back then is just more common these days. You don't find seeds in it like you used to. No more exploding joints when one blows up.

 

[ophiuchus]

thc thc thc. i would like to see more buds with increased (balanced) levels of CBD. awakening fresh and alive trumps waking up in a carnival mirror any day.

 

[Lotre]

Check for THCV also. Seems interesting to me.