image by: Mike Gifford

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Modern Marijuana Is Often Laced With Heavy Metals and Fungus

Medical and recreational marijuana use is increasingly legal—but do consumers know what they’re smoking? In the U.S., legal hurdles have long hampered research into marijuana. But as more states approve medical and even recreational marijuana, scientific inquiries have spiked, especially studies aimed at finding out what exactly is in today's weed—and what it does to our bodies. In Colorado, which made marijuana legal in November 2012, the latest results show that the pot lining store shelves is much more potent than the weed of 30 years ago. But the boost in power comes at a cost—modern marijuana mostly lacks the components touted as beneficial by medical marijuana advocates, and it is often…

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 Legal Pot Is More Potent Than Ever — And Still Largely Unregulated

Marijuana and other products containing THC, the plant’s main psychoactive ingredient, have grown more potent and more dangerous as legalization has made them more widely available. Although decades ago the THC content of weed was commonly less than 1.5%, some products on the market today are more than 90% THC.

 Marijuana Is Too Strong Now

strange thing has happened on the path to marijuana legalization. Users across all ages and experience levels are noticing that a drug they once turned to for fun and relaxation now triggers existential dread and paranoia. “The density of the nugs is crazy, they’re so sticky,” a friend from college texted me recently. “I solo’d a joint from the dispensary recently and was tweaking just walking around.” (Translation for the non-pot-savvy: This strain of marijuana is not for amateurs.)

 The Potent Promises (and Perils) of Modern Marijuana

Pot is more popular than it’s ever been—and more powerful too. Driven by precision-cultivation techniques, sophisticated extraction, and old-fashioned consumer demand, the rise of ultrapotent cannabis (and its knockoffs) is sparking new science, new health concerns, and new ways of thinking about an increasingly destigmatized drug.

 The Race for All-Powerful Pot

Inside the $32 billion industry transforming marijuana, its consumption and beliefs about its ability to heal.

Articles of Interest

High-THC cannabis: A mental health wake-up call

THC potency in cannabis has increased about fivefold over the past two decades, contributing to greater mental health risks for young, frequent users. Emergency visits for cannabis use or cannabis-induced psychosis in Ontario were linked to dramatically heightened odds of developing schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Stopping cannabis and receiving treatment — including medication and behavioral support — can reduce the risk of ongoing symptoms and relapse.

Today’s Weed Is Incredibly Strong. But That’s Not What You Should Be Worried About.

Politicians are fearmongering about marijuana potency—and they’re about to make things worse.

An Old-School Dealer Talks About Life in the Modern Weed Trade

Cannabis, concentrates, edibles, cartridges, shrooms, LSD at times. I love the psychedelics, but marijuana is my main thing. I do a lot of little retail stuff, quarters halves and ounces. I have a delivery service. We deliver all over the Kansas City area. Mostly ounces, carts, and edibles. There’s a $100 minimum for delivery. Top of the line indoor, some greenhouse, and outdoor. I rock it all out at different price levels.

Are We Entering The Era Of The High-Powered Female Stoner?

“People who smoke weed onscreen are never portrayed as functioning adults,” says Kenza. “And I think that really shapes the narrative around weed smokers; people think we’re bums or criminals with nothing going on in our lives.” And they are almost exclusively male. “The only female smoker I’ve seen on screen was in Top Boy,” she continues, referring to the gang member played by Jasmine Jobson. Kenza also gets frustrated with “media scaremongering”, which has meant that older generations assume that cannabis is a “gateway drug” and that she will “end up a crack addict” – something her own parents have worried about.

As America’s Marijuana Use Grows, So Do the Harms

The drug, legal in much of the country, is widely seen as nonaddictive and safe. For some users, these assumptions are dangerously wrong.

Can you overdose on weed?

You probably can’t blaze yourself to death, but your body could be miserable if you proceed without caution.

More Teens Are Using Dangerously Potent Pot for Intense Highs

Dabbing involves inhaling fumes from highly concentrated cannabis that is heated at high temperatures.

The Problem with the Current High Potency THC Marijuana from the Perspective of an Addiction Psychiatrist

The marijuana of old used to be classified as a hallucinogen and was thought to not cause addiction because there was no identified withdrawal syndrome. This has changed and with the increased potency of THC there is a definite recognized withdrawal syndrome which includes increased anger, irritability, depression, restlessness, headache, loss of appetite, insomnia and severe cravings for marijuana.