More often than not, you’ll hear people who grew up in the 1960s and 70s, who smoked “hippie weed”, say that weed today is not like it used to be.

But what do they mean by this?

Here, we lay it all out, unveiling weed from the 70s compared to the bud you’re buying today.

Ah, the timeless conversation about old weed vs new weed.

Weed in the 70s differs greatly from the weed you’re likely coming across today.

Here’s how they compare:

Potency

70s: How much THC did weed in the 70s have? Believe it or not, the average THC content in cannabis during the 1970s was around 1-3%. The main focus was more on the plant’s natural growth and without much care about THC levels.

Today: Strains these days contain up to 30% THC levels. Modern cannabis strains are specifically bred to max out on THC levels, mainly appeasing the “get as high as you possibly can” culture.

Growing Methods

70s: Weed was mainly grown outdoors in the 70s since tech-savvy equipment wasn’t around. As natural as this was, it also meant that the cannabis plant experienced all of Mother Nature’s doings, which could impact the plant’s quality.

Today: Cannabis is mostly grown in controlled environments. These are able to control for factors like light, temperature, humidity, and nutrients to make sure your bud reaches its full potential.

Product Variety

70s: The cannabis market was small, and options were tight back in the day. The variety was also limited mainly to traditional flower, hash, and some basic forms of concentrates.

Today: It’s common to get decision paralysis at your local weed shop with the amount of options available these days. Not only have the type of cannabis products expanded (edibles, tinctures, topicals, concentrates, vape products, etc.,) but there are tons of strain options.

The journey between farm and consumer was a lot longer back in the day.

In the 1970s, the majority of cannabis was imported illegally to the US from outside countries, mainly Columbia.

Cannabis potency is affected by oxidation, which is a chemical process that leads to the degradation of cannabinoids like THC and CBD.

Imports from outside of the country could take months to arrive, and during transport, cannabis was inevitably exposed to high temperatures and oxygen, thus reducing its potency.