Cannabis Connoisseurs' Obsession with Potency?

Connoisseurs of wine (or bourbon, etc.) aren't concerned all that much with the potency. You don't see wine connoisseurs sitting around slamming glasses of wine to get drunk... they're far more concerned about the nuances of the experience, i.e. the way the wine feels on the tongue, the way it smells, the flavors, the colors it imparts when light is shone through the glass, etc.

We cannabis connoisseurs also have a fine appreciation for the nuances of cannabis- flavors, bouquet, the way the smoke feels in your mouth, expansion, colors- and yet it seems people are far more concerned about smoking weed that blows the top of their skulls off.

Why is that? Why do cannabis users put such a high priority on getting ****ed up?

Dig

i wonder that myself . perhaps some people quickly build up a tolerance ?
i smoke 5 or 6 times a week, only a pipeful or 2 in the evening and i tell ya, i dont need no super-potent ganja. my grows are NOT coated with frosty trics, but they sure get the job done .

for me its about QUALITY of high, some highs are faint and boring... sure you can smoke more and more... but alot of strains have a ceiling to their high...


Thats why i know there are alot of people who love landrace sativas that you can continue to puff and puff and there is no point it quits getting your higher.

for me there is alot to be said for hitting quality, taste, aroma and formation of the flowers.

this is why most people are always searching for a good cross for taste and potency.

there are nice mellow smokes that are super tasty that i really enjoy smoking during the day when i am going out my daily activities.

but these are not good strains for pain and muscle/joint problems..

there are strains that are far more affective for those who use cannabis for more than just a mild buzz...

at night a mild smoke just wont cut it, and that is when i want the weed that "blows the top of my skull off, because its not all about the head high either... i want a good body high and muscle relaxation.

very hard to compare to alcohol since you can continue to drink and it will just keep getting you more and more intoxicated.


EDIT: a good point was brought up about tollerance... people who smoke rarely can be satisfied with smoke that i would pass up and have no interest in smoking... for the daily heavy smoker there is more that is needed as far as potency goes. something that you can smoke and it will do the trick for you every time.

i like the higher potency so i dont have to smoke as much as lesser potent pot

I think it's because one glass of wine doesn't get you drunk, yet one joint gets you high. From the first tokes i can feel the stonedness coming over me, for me there's no smoking pot without getting high, whereas the wine experience can have nothing to do with getting drunk.

Dignan said:

Why is that? Why do cannabis users put such a high priority on getting ****ed up?

Dig

Click to expand...

why do we smoke pot ..period...

I'm not going to kid myself, getting stoned is the most important characteristic of buds and it takes potency to get me stoned. Taste, smoothness, expansion, sativa/indica are nice extras but the stone is what brings us back and puts us in the state to appreciate these nuances fully. I feel more potent stones enhance the perception of a buds subtle characteristics which cannot be fully enjoyed sober.

I blame it on 3 things. one addiction. especially alot of cannaseurs have a bit of a problem and smoke HEAVY weed all day and if it doesn't give them that by the hit relief they get pissed off. you'll notice in kush threads they are all potency nuts. and they are constantly in arguments like crackheads.

two is the twenty dollar a gram mentality. alot of us started growing to stop paying 20 dollars for a gram. it started out a few plants with a low yield and they needed to kick your ass. but as time progresses people tend to have enough weed and look at what else is there. but still hold on to the idea that this much weed is supposed to feel like this.

which brings me to the 3rd reason. laziness. most potheads are lazy. and once you have a smokers stash and you're looking for something else. its alot easier to pick up a seed catalog and get the same reshuffled genes that have a few very basic similiar stones named a few hundred names. and since the stones are so similiar all that really matters is how strong it is. I mean c'mon. afghani, black domina, the purple humboldt that is so popular, g13. the difference in stone is hardly noticable. only the potency and different smells/tastes/looks

Its alot harder and more risky to chase down exotic strains that have unique effects that have long flowering times, low yields, are PITAs etc.

I love ganja like a love women, most, if not all, are wonderful...some just fit me better...I am also polyamorous with the herb...currently lovin' the purpley purples and the bubba....i gotta lotta love to give tho...

Good question. I know I prefer my Blueberry hybrid over my hardcore indica, the indica (dman black spice) is more potent but it doesnt taste like the blueberry. In fact, I think the black spice is almost too potent, if I do too much I get paranoia and the high isn't as enjoyable. I like strong pot, but I think the taste and TYPE of high are much more important than sheer potency.

Dignan said:

Connoisseurs of wine (or bourbon, etc.) aren't concerned all that much with the potency. You don't see wine connoisseurs sitting around slamming glasses of wine to get drunk... they're far more concerned about the nuances of the experience, i.e. the way the wine feels on the tongue, the way it smells, the flavors, the colors it imparts when light is shone through the glass, etc.

We cannabis connoisseurs also have a fine appreciation for the nuances of cannabis- flavors, bouquet, the way the smoke feels in your mouth, expansion, colors- and yet it seems people are far more concerned about smoking weed that blows the top of their skulls off.

Why is that? Why do cannabis users put such a high priority on getting ****ed up?

Dig

Click to expand...

It's like this: a pretty girl and a fugly girl will get you laid...but given the choice, which girl would YOU choose to have sex with?

that is what separates fine cannabis from fine wine my friend.
cannabis is more complexed because it adds an additional layer of effects that alters your mind and soul which links to your mood. you can say it effects more senses than wine. it also has psychedelic properties. which is why I like to get baked all day every day.

THC is the active ingredient in cannabis, in case you did not know that, and thats what gets you f'd up. It is only natural for humans to breed herb for large amounts of THC so less gets you high and so you get more psychedelic properties for your time/effort.

DimeBag65 said:

for me its about QUALITY of high, some highs are faint and boring... sure you can smoke more and more... but alot of strains have a ceiling to their high...


Thats why i know there are alot of people who love landrace sativas that you can continue to puff and puff and there is no point it quits getting your higher.

for me there is alot to be said for hitting quality, taste, aroma and formation of the flowers.

this is why most people are always searching for a good cross for taste and potency.

there are nice mellow smokes that are super tasty that i really enjoy smoking during the day when i am going out my daily activities.

but these are not good strains for pain and muscle/joint problems..

there are strains that are far more affective for those who use cannabis for more than just a mild buzz...

at night a mild smoke just wont cut it, and that is when i want the weed that "blows the top of my skull off, because its not all about the head high either... i want a good body high and muscle relaxation.

very hard to compare to alcohol since you can continue to drink and it will just keep getting you more and more intoxicated.


EDIT: a good point was brought up about tollerance... people who smoke rarely can be satisfied with smoke that i would pass up and have no interest in smoking... for the daily heavy smoker there is more that is needed as far as potency goes. something that you can smoke and it will do the trick for you every time.

Click to expand...

Hello all,

Well said.

minds_I

If you think that most wine or bourbon drinkers would continue to drink if they did not get drunk and ****ed up you are fooling yourself. They may well enjoy the taste and smells of the expensive bottles of wine or whatever but most bottles are cheap. And few if any would drink without the alcohol content.
Cannabis is much more complex then alcohol, besides the strength you have the type of high, be it up and soaring, speedy, clear, eurphoric, psychedelic, or maybe physical, couch-lock, sedative, the effects can be very different depending on the terpenoid content, and Cannabinoids. This is not to mention if the Cannabis has a ceiling or not as well as smoothness of the smoke. How it is grown and prepared make a big difference, like organicly.
And yes to me potency is very important, right up there with the taste and type of high.

-SamS

Dignan said:

Connoisseurs of wine (or bourbon, etc.) aren't concerned all that much with the potency. You don't see wine connoisseurs sitting around slamming glasses of wine to get drunk... they're far more concerned about the nuances of the experience, i.e. the way the wine feels on the tongue, the way it smells, the flavors, the colors it imparts when light is shone through the glass, etc.

We cannabis connoisseurs also have a fine appreciation for the nuances of cannabis- flavors, bouquet, the way the smoke feels in your mouth, expansion, colors- and yet it seems people are far more concerned about smoking weed that blows the top of their skulls off.

Why is that? Why do cannabis users put such a high priority on getting ****ed up?

Dig

Click to expand...

I think that if wine conoisseurs aren't so concerned by the potency of the wine is because the potency is always here and constant. It's not like weed where the potency can be very low or very high, if you buy different white wine the flavor, smell, taste would be different, but not the degree of alcohol.

If you buy different skunk, the smell, taste and flavors can be different, but the potency also depending of a lot of things.

Some buds can be fruity as hell, but low potency...i will smoke them with a lot of pleasure...and i will smoke my joint of high potency / killer taste too, because i like different kind of pleasure, from the mouth, the head...etc...

my 2 cents

Well is see potency as very important part of quality...the more potent the weed the less you have to use. High potency is like a good grape harvest...what you really get is more product. Every thing else is just how you use it. The same ''type'' of high can be at different potencies too.

Dignan,
I'm new here hope you don't mind me jumping in with my two cents. First got high in 1968, low potency Mexican. Got really high for the first time in 1972 on Thai Stick in SE Asia, the high was so wonderful that it changed many things about me. Two or three hits and you were entertained for the evening. When I returned to the states, the first pot I smoked was Mexican, it was like night and day. Over the next five or six years I smoked some fine Columbo and Oaxacan that came close but no cigar. In the late 70's I smoked alot of Moroc, Leb, and rarely Afg hash while living in Europe. Very good high but not the same. Now I have a choice between cheap assed Mexican brick and $130 a q/oz indoor. This is why I have decided to grow again. I can't help but wonder if advancing age reduces your ability to get high, especially the up, giggly, mind expanding type. Smoking low potency pot, you usually only get high with the first joint. With the hydro I have smoked, you reach a ceiling and build up a tolerance real quick. This site has given me hope that I can find and grow something like the Thai. Thanks guys for all the thoughtful discussions.
Peace

A commercial grow is nothing like you grow for your own use. Having seen a few grows in my life I need to tell you people that you may have been poisoned.They don"t care if the bug killer is OK. I have seen acres grown with malathion a systemic insecticide. I have seen human fecal matter put into a cure to get the MJ to turn brown and "cure" faster.Then the smoke goes to the distributor He will wet the smoke to make it weigh more. Steam compressed bales apart give them a good spray with pine scented insecticide for aroma and off to the man that sells bags. This guy will add seeds put some more adulterants in it store it in a dogs a$$ and sell it to some poor unsuspecting noob. The point being If there's money involved some one is figuring how to make more money. Now I am hearing about glass. Will the madness ever end?

I smoke pot more for the effect not because it looks delicate, dainty, or taste pretty. If pot didnt get me high I would just smoke good Cuban Cigars.

People have expressed very interesting factors in this discussion, so I might add my own.

The reason I smoke is I wanna get high, but I wanna get the type of high im after. I am not down with some yberpotent indicastone that works in your head 20 min before putting you into sleep + maybe with the extra "pleasure" that you cannot rise from the bed in morning when you should. Im sure many of you have experienced the same.

Thats why I try to grow only sativadominant strains. My high doesnt have to be so "potent" that it put´s my ass on the couch and totally drops me out after 20 to 30 minutes / gives you this boring type of high that so many todays hybrids do. I want to get that gigly high that I experienced when I started smoking without tolerance. The good flavors are just bonus, I mean I can really enjoy the smoking experience of slightly "bitter" tasting sativa, if it produces the type of high I want. Many sativas have slightly "bitter" undertone, that tells the user he/she is smoking some dankerb and is feeling something after couple tokes. + The FACT, that sativas have no-/very low ceiling and tolerance buildup, because the different kind of cannabinoidprofile than indicas...

Simpy putted: Strains with low/no cbd, but muchos THC & THCV will rock Herbalistic´s freeworld

And what about the unique experience these sativas offer you. They do not give the standard type of high that works only the first day you smoke it, but not tomorrow anymore, that every true cannaseur recognize after smoking spliff, but they offer you unique & even spiritual experiences that you can puff every day/night of year with almost same amount and effects, without tolerance buildup!!!

However, I understand what you are meaning Dignan (at least in some way when you ask is potency the only factor for many smokers. Motaco putted out wise words whit them "KUSH heads". I think there are lot´s of tokers that are after that "one hit & drop" strains, that really seek the ultimate potent stone, that puts your ass in seat and closes your eyes. Im not down with those people... This type of tokers are the ones that have addictive properties...

Shit, here was thread some time ago named "Most opiat like & dreamy strains" or something named similar. I cannot understand that thinking, why would someone wanna get same feeling than opiates do? + the fact, there aint strains that can be opiate like and produce similar euphoria than opiates do. I have many years experience with playing with poppy extracts and im glad I can say those days are gone. Those extracts destroyed my life for years and didnt bring any good for me & family, so I cannot understand why somebody believes that buds can affect you similar than heroin!!!!

Maybe some oilsolvents of superstrong indica can produce something slightly similar, but only when eaten, but they dont never produce the same type & amount of euphoria than those damned poppyextracts do...

Also Dignan, aint you smoking pot because you wanna get high, or do you smoke it just because of flavors & colors etc.? I dont know about you guys, but I know what im after when smoking spliff

Damn, this reply did get long and im really tired of lastnight party, so excuse if there is any typing errors!!

Peace & pot!!!