Marijuana Is Too Strong Now

> The potency of marijuana in the United States has, in fact, increased dramatically since 1970. Some suggest the more potent marijuana of the 1980s is a fundamentally different drug than that of the 1960s and 1970s. They argue that claims of marijuana’s relative safety are based on tests with the older, less potent product and that the "new" marijuana poses new risks (Inaba, 1987; Inciardi & McBride, 1989). While marijuana in the 1980s is more potent by as much as a factor of five, it is unclear whether this hurts or helps the health of the typical smoker. Users may become more intoxicated with the new marijuana, making them less safe drivers, for example. It is also true, however, that less smoke is inhaled to reach intoxication, which would clearly be a health benefit from more potent marijuana. However this question resolves itself, Mikuriya and Aldrich (1988) convincingly argue that highly potent marijuana has a long history of recreational use and that calling it a "new drug" is misleading. They also suggest that although new marijuana may be more potent per pound the practice of autotitration, or the self-regulation of doses, means that users are not necessarily becoming more intoxicated. This, too, is an issue that merits further study.