Trees

tl;dr I don't think I answer your question...

As a regular smoker since 1995, I can say I definitely don't rip four foot bong hits anymore. I also don't go through a half ounce in three days. Now, a quarter lasts me weeks, and a single spliff lasts me a day or three.

Part of that is that I have things I need my brain for, and the other is that I'm wasted on anything more than three hits. I'm living in a country with no designer weed, and what I get here is only a notch or two above Mexican brick. When I lived 1.2mi from a weed store in the US, the heavy THC strains would kick my ass after two hits or less.

Still, some friends who do dabz regularly (back in the states) get ripped well beyond what I prefer to, so I'm not sure the increased high is making smokers consume less. Its probably just me getting old.

I started smoking in the mid-80s. It's true that what we would call "homegrown" wasn't super potent, but it gave a nice mellow buzz. And yes, we'd often roll bigger spliffs with it. But you could get very potent weed if you had a good contact. Maybe not as potent as now but pretty potent.

Where I grew up, though, we all smoked hash. We'd use weed or tobacco to roll hash joints or just pipe it, etc.

It's so wonderful to have made it to legalization. No stress when buying and having a choice of what to buy is really nice.

It depends on the reason. Against my ADHD symptoms: a micro dose. For trauma therapy and recreational use: a big hit, no matter how strong.

I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too

Yeah, currently reducing frequency to 2-3 days a week from doing it virtually everyday for the best part of a decade. Hoping to transition to a pause after getting comfortable with the reduction.

Where I am its not legal so I have no idea on how potent it is.

No. I smoke more than ever. Smoked for 20 years but it’s the best way I’ve found to numb myself and it keeps me off the Xanz.

I basically never smoke anymore since edibles are so accessible (and tasty).

Where I live higher THC percentage lead to most people smoking weed and tobacco spliffs. Hopefully growing for personal consumption becomes legal soon, which would lead to less potent weed becoming available. I really don't like how most of my smoking friends started to smoke cigarettes over the years.

I finished highschool in 2004, and I remember being taught in health class (2003?) that pot was much more potent than it had been in the 60s and 70s.

How does the stuff available now compare to the stuff from 2004?

My googling suggests averages of:

60s: 2% 70s: 2% 80s: 3% 90s: 4% 95-2014: transitioned from 4%-12%

To an average of 15% today.

I'm guessing gains prior to the 90s were selective breeding. 90's hybridization? Subsequently GMO?

Not an old head but in mid 20s and been smoking about a decade now. Used to be able to pump joints and bong rips intoy lungs as a teen, but nowthe years of smoking is catching up to me and I get out of breath easy which is more of an issue now that I have some children in my life that want to me to play and run with them.

As the pain of hot smoke in lungs out competes the minor pleasure of smoking mid grade cheap pot I have been looking for healthier ways to enjoy my cannabis and get high. This past year was my time for discovering dry herb vapes. Now that I have the vape situation handled I'm looking into how to process flower into stronger forms so I dont have to smoke as much or at all. This years goals are learning how to make some hash and RSO.

Definitely. 20-25 years back when I first started smoking, the weed we could find was much lower THC than the mildest stuff I can find in a dispensary these days (though buying it from a guy with no job behind a dry cleaners might’ve played a factor there). We’d roll a couple joints and pass around 4-5 people - smoke em both and you’d tie on a good buzz but still be functional.

Started seeing stuff the was more “one hit quit” later in college in the mid 00s - roughly comperable to average commercial product these days. Sharing a single joint of that around and we’d melt into the couch for the afternoon. Nowadays I don’t take more than a hit or two if I need to do anything more complex than grunting or blinking.

Some of that I am sure has to do with me smoking more seldom generally, and maybea little childhood nostalgia, but I sure miss having something I can hit for a while without turning into a mass of quivering jelly for four hours.

There are a lot more concentrates now, some as high as 90% THC. 1 gram of those lasts me a month when I used to smoke over an ounce of flower in the same timeframe and the cost is less than 25% what I used to spend.

I'm in a country with a fairly restrictive medical cannabis system. I can't compare stuff from back in the 70s or whatever as I wasnt born yet lol. But I can compare the lowest THC strain I have against the highest. I have 12.5%, 15% and 21%. (For context I only vape and only microdose).
The lowest one can give the highest one a run for its money in terms of how much it hits from one inhalation. But it doesn't last ovr many hits. The lowest might only be 2-3 hits from the bowl. Whereas the highest I can get easily double that before it becomes naff.

This for me means the stronger stuff is way better value for money.

The downside is that you don't get as much terpenes - the lower strength will be a bowl a session. Whereas the higher strength, a bowl can last two or three sessions and I'm only getting the yummy terpene hits off that first session.

Highly depends on wether or not I've got a job.

I haven't had one for over a year now so I've been smoking more and more.