Flower power and the sixties were a turning point in the history and evolution of cannabis and marijuana consumption. According to the University of Minnesota, “marijuana has been very popular in recent history, and ever since the 1960s, has been a common part of our society as a whole.” In this article we’re going to discuss this amazing decade and the main differences of cannabis today vs. the 1960s.
Cannabis In The 1960’s
1960 to 1969. This decade was sprinkled with peace, love, Beatlemania, mini skirts, and of course, marijuana. According to Morgan Roger, counterculture was the defining factor of this decade. A “revolution of social norms in clothing, music, drugs, dress, sexuality, formalities, and education”, while also being a decade of “irresponsible excess, flamboyance, and decay of social order, due to the abundance of drugs”. The sixties were the time for hippies and cannabis. And it was this very same moment of time that pushed the social acceptance of marijuana use. The exploration of psychedelic drugs was combined with its therapeutic potential, eventually leading up to 1967’s Summer of Love. Simply put, without the sixties’ flower power, we wouldn’t have legalized cannabis today.
The Differences With Cannabis Today
“Not only is the weed of today more potent than that of the 1960s, but it comes in a much wider selection of strains and products. Our parents knew very little of edibles, concentrates, and other forms of cannabis. They were flower experts. Their children have so much more. Legalization is spreading, across states and even countries.”
William Levy, marketer and writer, Pot Valet.
Though those ten years paved the way to how we consume cannabis today, there are huge differences between modern cannabis vs. 1960’s hippie weed. Let’s discuss them.
THC Content
The main differences between cannabis today and cannabis in the 1960s – that is to say, hippie weed – lands mainly on THC content. In the sixties, cannabis strains rarely exceeded 5% of THC content. Today, the mildest strains have between 10-12%, many land around 15 to 20%, and the strongest ones can be as high as 25%. Basically, “the cannabis in your average joint these days is on average 4 to 5 times stronger than the hippie weed enjoyed in the 60s.” And in some cases, it can even be more than that!
Consumption Method
“For those who grew up in the 1960s and ’70s, it’s a fairly accurate assessment to say that people smoked it all: stems, seeds, leaves, and buds. While the dosage and potency weren’t quite the same as it is today.”
Amanda Scriver, The Growth Op.
Cannabis today is also consumed differently than in the sixties. While before, cannabis was mainly consumed through inhalation and a few “pot brownies” with varying results, today the future of cannabis is NOT located in the flower. And also, before the ENTIRE plant was consumed. There was no wasting anything – leaves, stems, seeds, buds. You smoked it all. Today, we know that the important part of the cannabis flower are the buds, and we’ve managed to extract the components to create new consumption methods, like oils and extracts. You can eat it, smoke it, vape it, drop it or rub it in.
Potency
Leafly states that the potency of the cannabis plant has increased over the years. This is mainly due to two important factors:
- The cannabis in the 60’s was illegally imported. So by the time it finally reached consumers, the product was older and thus, less potent.
- Cannabis was imported in “bricks” that included the entire plant: leaves, stems, flowers and other pieces, and was smoked as such. Like we mentioned before, this means that cannabis users back then were not exclusively smoking the parts with high content of THC.
So cannabis today is stronger. It’s also backed by a lot more research, information, and public approval.
Legalization
“Seems to me that the flower power generation conflated cannabis with the rejection of traditional values and with dropping out. That created a stigma that resulted in the irrational criminalization of cannabis and it also ground to a halt valuable research. There’s nothing rebellious about weed. It’s natural and we have receptors in our brain for it; it’s a fine way to change perception and to manage anxiety. Sure, it can be abused. But so can anything else. The greater abuse by far has been incarcerating people for it.”
Louis Greenstein, Writer-Editor at LouisGreenstein.com
As we mentioned before, cannabis in the 1960s was illegal, and was punishable with “a minimum sentence of 2-10 years with a fine of up to $20,000.” The University of Minnesota published an article on the role of drugs on the popular culture of the 1960s. For marijuana, it states that “During the sixties, as people were trying to find new ways to explore pleasure and ways of bringing it about, marijuana became an obvious choice. Despite the fact that it was illegal, many people were willing to try this amazing substance. […] Although marijuana is not a mind altering drug like a psychedelic, it was also eagerly sought out for a good “buzz”.”
But a big difference is the social acceptance of cannabis consumption. An article by Cottage Life states that: “people who used cannabis outside of the medical framework before legalization often felt the need to hide it.” It was perceived as taboo, perhaps bordering on evil. But with the recent marijuana legalizations all over the world, this taboo is finally gone. Today, cannabis is legal in a lot of countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and more. You can consume it without any fear of being convicted or fined.
Resurgence Today
According to Amanda Scriver, “the dopest time for cannabis was in the ’60s”. But we don’t think so. Cannabis today is legal & safe to use. You no longer have to consume the plant’s leaves, stem and other paraphernalia to get the high rolling. And truth be told, you no longer have to get high at all. You can consume either THC or CBD, depending on whether you want the relaxing effects of CBD or if you want the added psychoactive effects of THC. With oils, extracts, and concentrates, you have full control over dosage and application. And added to that, marijuana today is legal, which means that there’s an entire industry full of work possibilities and business innovations. You can even go to weed college and learn all there is to know about cannabis! Quite literally, cannabis today is the future. The world is your oyster and your CBD oil is your sidekick.
If you would like to learn more about cannabis history, its uses & its advances in today’s industry, then you can start by going to school. Our programs are made to give you all the necessary tools you need to succeed in the marijuana industry.