Last night, my 79 year old father invited his friends to dinner at my house. Also in their late 70’s/early 80’s, I expected the dinner conversation to the take the usual twists and turns that it often does. Politics, living this new life with Covid, global warming, living in Maine……But when 83 year old Fred heard about our new Cannabis endeavor, Portland Greenhouse, his ears perked up.
Cannabis Strength Then vs. Now
With a big smile expanding on his face, he reminisced about the seventies back in New Orleans and how “marijuana” had really opened his eyes. “Music really made sense to me, I finally had a grasp on space/time continuum, and food tasted sooooo good!” I engaged Fred and asked if he had tried any cannabis in recent years and he shook his head no. “It’s so different now, isn’t it? It’s so much stronger”.
It IS different now, although how it is different is a complicated topic and hard to explain briefly. Even though Cannabis has been part of American culture since the inception of the country, cannabis now is not what it was then. The plant itself has changed in terms of its potency. Back in the 70’s when Fred was smoking it, the majority of marijuana came into the States from Columbia where it was mass produced and very little was actually from the feminized flower. When one walks into a dispensary today, they expect to find exactly this but this was not readily available in years past. Instead it was largely a mixture of leaves, stems, and maybe some flower (and therefore much lower levels of THC) that people were ingesting.
So, yes, while cannabis is stronger now, Fred, it is also arguably better. Better because as technology in the industry has rapidly advanced, the individual strains have become highly specialized and targeted, helping so many people on so many varying levels it’s honestly mind blowing. An example of a few different strains, all with very different effects are:
- Gorilla Glue—Potent hybrid – very cerebral, high can last hours (used for muscle spasms, pain, anxiety, depression, insomnia)
- Chemdawg—known to make people laugh:) relaxing and uplifting though maybe too much for a beginner. It’s also very stinky.
- Candyland—not there to relax you; instead motivates you. It’s a balanced hybrid. It gives you a boost of energy which results in creativity, happy feelings, wanting to talk…..
*Maradi is one of our amazing bud tenders at PGH and her favorite is Blue Dream: sativa dominant hybrid. What she says about it: “I love the way it looks, smells and tastes. It has an ethereal cerebral high that makes everything look and sound more beautiful, makes me laugh and gets me thinking more philosophically”.
So, you see how all marijuana strains do NOT provide you with the same effect. Instead, this magnificent plant is incredibly complex and could be discussed for days.
When dessert came along, and I handed around a little bowl with some dark chocolate peanut butter cups, Fred smiled and said in a hopeful voice, “might these be more than just candy?”. I said that no, with kids around, these were certainly just simple whole foods peanut butter cups, but that if he wanted to come into the store, I would advise him on edibles. “Yes, please! I have heard a lot about edibles and I really want to try them”. We then got into a full discussion about all of the different options and why edibles (along with tinctures and drinks) are so very popular these days, especially with Fred’s generation. I explained that John and I are amazed at the 60 and older crowd who have flooded our store in the last month. It appears that there is a common desire to sleep better, feel better, be able to touch one’s toes, eliminate restless leg syndrome, and a host of other wonderful side effects that seem to come with cannabis use. Not only do edibles require no smoking (some people just do not want to put anything in their lungs), they metabolize differently and can often have much more long lasting effects if that is what you are looking for.
Buy Edibles at Your Favorite Downtown Portland, Maine Dispensary
Whatever your mode of ingestion, every option is available at Portland Greenhouse and our incredible bud tenders are there to help you every step of the way so that it is not an intimidating or overwhelming experience, especially if you are a newcomer.