Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By George Lynch,
Green Stem Provisioning

Boy oh boy, how things have changed in the world of cannabis (marijuana, Mary Jane, ganja, weed, grass, pot, flower, MJ, etc.) in the last 50+ years. I can still remember my very first experience with the “Devil’s Lettuce” back on a chilly night in late November 1969. My cousin had scored three joints, rolled in yellow papers, twisted at both ends and captivated myself and another cousin. I still sometimes, when I smoke a certain strain of cannabis, get a hint of that joyous sweet pungent smell from my very first joint. 

Cannabis flower itself was so different back in the day than what is now available. We never really had any idea where, when or how the weed that we were buying and consuming actually came from. Our friendly neighborhood dealer would say that, “this is Columbian Red or Michoacan from Mexico or Lambs Bread from Jamaica ” however, we never really knew what it really was or where it actually came from or was even grown. I remember in 1973 a group of us pooled our money together and bought our first kilo of weed. It came in compressed brick form wrapped in red wax paper and about the shape and size of half a shoebox. When we broke up the brick, I truly believe that there were more seeds, sticks and stems than actual grass.

That was the pot scene until 1978. When we were originally introduced and able to smoke “sensemilla” (the first weed with no seeds); that totally blew our minds at the time. It was also about the time everything started to change in the country toward cannabis. President Jimmy Carter almost legalized weed in 1977 until his Chief of Staff got caught snorting cocaine in the White House. However, by 1980, when good ole Ronny Regan ran his campaign for President, on the “this is your brain on drugs” (in other words Marijuana) and zero tolerance platform. There was always paranoia in the cannabis scene but when Ronny got elected, the weed world went back underground with more and more folks starting indoor grows. It was also the era when a lot of people finally realized that cannabis was a non-addictive, fun intoxicant but also Medicine and possessed true health benefits.    

Today’s cannabis experience is completely different than the old days. Now, we just pull up to any adult use provisioning center (dispensary), check out a menu and we are able to purchase a huge assortment of cannabis products: chocolate, gummies, vape cartridges, tinctures and topical lotions. 

Most dramatically to change however is the flower. Today’s pot is more potent than what we smoked in the 60s and 70s (thanks to dedicated cultivators) but really not much different in the way that affects you. Smoking weed is still the same ritual, puff-puff-pass and god forbid don’t bogart yet eating cannabis is a bit different. I ate my first pot brownie around 1971; it tasted awful, but it got you high, just you had to choke it down. The edibles that are now available are definitely much better tasting and also much stronger than the ones we made back in the day. So be careful, as we say “go low (dose) and slow” when eating cannabis.

Please, if you have any questions or concerns about cannabis use come visit us at Green Stem in Niles, we can help guide you on a positive cannabis journey.