HappySqurriel said:
Wild Marijuana produces very little THC because only unfertilized female plants produce significant amounts of THC. Today we have special breeds of Marijuana being grown in hydroponic operations to produce a drug that is several orders of magnitude more potent than what was available 50 years ago. Essentially, natural Marijuana would (kind of) be like drinking beer that had 2.5% alcohol content while modern Marijuana is kind of like drinking pure ethanol. |
What you need to realize is that the number one effect of prohibition is the increase in potency. As it stands, the severity of punishment for possession of marijuana is based on the amount in weight, not in THC concentration. Marijuana with more THC will sell for more than weaker alternatives, and the punishment is the same, so why would someone not try to maximize THC concentration?
We saw this exact effect during America's prohibition of alcohol; a barrel of bourbon will yield the same punishment as a barrel of beer, but the bourbon will sell for much, much more. To put it simply, the reason that marijuana is so strong today is because of prohibition.