Marijuana.com

Buzzby

Letter: Marijuana Potency Information Misleading
Steven S. Epstein | TownOnline | 03/24/2005

To the editor:

Last fall, over 60 percent of Marblehead voters recognized parents are the best protection against adolescent drug abuse when they voted in favor of making possession of marijuana a civil violation and requiring police to hold a person under 18 cited for possession until the person is released to a parent or legal guardian or brought before a judge.

So, I was shocked to learn that Michael Nerney told the audience "today's marijuana is far stronger than it used to be," calling modern marijuana and its use "an entirely different plant in a significantly younger brain."

This statement is factually inaccurate and misleading. Although marijuana-potency data compiled by the University of Mississippi's Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences does show an increase in marijuana's strength through the years, this increase is not nearly as dramatic as represented at the forum. Exceptionally strong strains of marijuana, like the legendary Panama Red and Acapulco Gold, are inordinately expensive, comprise a small percentage of the overall marijuana market, and are seldom used by the population at large - particularly school-age children.

Neither is more potent marijuana necessarily more dangerous. Marijuana poses no risk of fatal overdose, regardless of THC content. In addition, studies indicate that marijuana smokers distinguish between high- and low-potency marijuana and moderate their use accordingly, just as an alcohol consumer would drink fewer ounces of scotch than they would ounces of beer.

The persons who conduct these forums, as do all drug abuse educators, need to realize the truth is more likely to effectuate a reduction in adolescents engaging in risky behaviors. It is not necessary to mislead parents into believing that most adolescents are engaging in drug use. It is important to remind parents that as the best anti-drug they need to know with whom and where there children are when they are not with us.

Attorney Steven S. Epstein

Spokesman

Massachusetts Cannabis

Reform Coalition/NORML

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reefermadness1

"studies indicate that marijuana smokers distinguish between high- and low-potency marijuana and moderate their use accordingly, just as an alcohol consumer would drink fewer ounces of scotch than they would ounces of beer. "

We don't call chronic 'one hitter quitter' for no reason!

king cola

They also didn't test every strain from the 60's to be able to make the statement that today's pot is stronger! In fact some of the old strains from the 60's and 70's could be just as potent.

Then some make statements that the marijuana is stronger so that means after they are done smoking they want more, also bullsh*t. When we smoke good pot we don't wanna smoke again for awhile, it's not like cocaine when you come down from the high and need more! They try and compare marijuana to hard drugs all the time, tryin to make it sound like both have the same effects on people. They always talk of kids smoking pot at such young ages, if alcohol was still illegal even people just as young would get a hold of it, but some still do anyway. It should be the parents responsibility to figure out what their kids are doing, but how the hell can you do that when you keep marijuana banned?

If marijuana is as strong as they say it, then that just means we do just take less smoke into our lungs to get the desired effect, all it means is someone doesn't have to smoke a whole bag of weak bud to reach the effect they can get just taking a few puffs off really good bud.

WNB

I'd suspect the "average" potency has gone up because growers are using more sophisticated methods than they did 40 years ago. The range in potency has not changed much.

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Buzzby

I agree. Back in the 60s - 70s most marijuana was field-grown and had lots of seeds. The only exception was Thai sticks and I don't know if that weed was sinsemilla or if the seeds were popped out of the buds by hand. They obviously had a lot of hand processing.

Growing buds without seeds increases potency tremendously because the plant puts it's energy into producing THC-rich resins instead of seeds. A lot more is known today about optimal nutrition for cannabis plants. Finally, the genetics of the best pot plants has been improved greatly by scientific cross-breeding.

I've read that the vast majority of marijuana available in the US is still field-grown, includes leaves, and has seeds. The connoisseur, high-potency bud is still the exception rather than the rule. There's more of it than there was 20 years ago and I suspect the seedy stuff is better than it was then because of the improved genetics. I don't see any schwag because the people I buy from never handle it.