Stoners of Yesteryear & Today

[The Mad Toker]

Alrighty, now that I am back to enjoying the sweet sensimilla again I am starting to get creative and writing articles and stuff again. My latest idea is I want to do a piece comparing the marijuana culture of the 20th century to marijuana culture today and in the near future. So i am in need of some stories and experiences and stuff like that. This is open to everyone to post their input however I would deffiently like to get input from the more experienced generation who have been involved for many many years. Some samples I am looking for are:

How has the culture changed since you first started smoking?

How has growing changed?

What do you see as to likely happen in say the next 10 years that will change the way people look at cannabis?

Is there any real difference between the smokers of say the 60's and 70's and those of today?

Those are all I can pull off the top of my head right now as this just popped up but anything else you'd like to post please feel free to. I have a feeling this could turn into a major undertaking.

[xsmokinbudx]

first off

hey mad toker

secondly i think u have some good going on here, and would like to contribute, im not exactly sure what u want even tho u just laid it out for us. im gonna talk off the top of my head cause im not low, and if say something u like cool, if im just rambling, my bad and i may post again after seeing others ideas..

ok so some that jumps out at me is the more potent pot these day we have thses days, which prolly over the years has influenced smoking habbits and the way to smoke, from joints to glass etc.

another thing i know from personal expeirience is black people for the most part have never used bongs or well glass as a whole. so i have gotten alot of black people to try a bong, with me and my friends and now i even have my black friends buying glass. -- i know there is something to be found there with the racial difference's of stoners but also the unity because of what we all love. maybe u can figure it out. anyway im off for now, just thought i give a little something.

[Frog]

How has it changed, use to get weed in a newspapper
Now you can order custom zipLocks.

Early 50' the shrimpers who were smugglin' weed got paid by the ton.
Heard tale,
they would sit on bales to steer 'cuz they had so much weed on the boat, "to make the trip" .
Nowdays ya' get paided by the trip.

[julianne]

I arrived in So Cal in the 50's as a teen. It didn't take too long to discover all the wonders the Golden State has to offer. I became a dancing fool to Little Richard and all the other guys. But, THEN . . . I discovered Panama Red and Acapulco Gold. It came 1oz in Prince Albert tobacco tins and cost $25. The rolling papers were brown and I only occasionaly smoked a "hookah." We forsook Little Richard and became obsessed with jazz and the music inspired by the musicians' altered states. Society labeled us as maniacal narcotic users. Sometimes it seems nothing's changed. LOL
I didn't know of anyone that grew back then--it had been coming up big time from Mexico ever since WWII was over and SoCal was so near the border. We hung out in little coffee shops, drinking wine or espresso while someone might be playing guitar or bongos or reading poetry or Jack Kerourac. I knitted a sweater while "digging the scene." Then I ended up getting married and didn't partake in herb for about 20 years due to all the other responsibilities that came first.
From my view looking back at things,it seems like around 1968 a great dark cloud started creeping over our wonderful country. It seems like it was caused by the misuse of drugs and and crazy people, not to mention political hanky-panky that I don't even want to go into. Things mellowed out a little in the 70's, especially if you had a little money to buy good goodies. But the folks w/o wanted to have something too to make life a little easier so cneap crack and meth appeared on the scene ruined everything. Then around 1983 AIDS showed up and the Internet. Oh, blah, blah. I can't think too deeply about much more tonight.
I'm am glad that we have been forced to become our own growers and learn about this wondrous plant and very glad that there's this 410 Mag site. The photos are just breath-taking. Just imagine how far we've come in growing knowledge of this God-given herb, and all because of the heartless swine and their heartless laws. (I love calling them that)
I don't have any regrets but if I could live my life over, I would like to become a scientist of cannabis and study its endless gifts. I'm sure it would take a lifetime and more.

[Bud420Man]

I don't really have a lot to say, but I wanted to say that Julianne mentioned something about the internet, and I feel that can really go a lot further.

The introduction of the internet has allowed sites like this beautiful one we have here to sprout up all over the place. Lurkers come around, and gain valuable knowledge from the health effects, to growing, and just plain enjoying the general stoner atmosphere that we have. It's not always easy to be a stoner without any friends who smoke (like... me). Coming here actually gives me someone to talk to that enjoys marijuana, and the wide age range lets you gain information from the experienced stoners, as well as the new comers who all bring a little something special to the table. It's like a worldwide, stoner only, community, and it's simply incredible.

[MarkOfCainBand]

damn julianne you make me wish i was born a good 30 or 40 years earlier.

[meteorlima]

I was born in Oakland Caifornia in 1946, Ive lived in the bay area since then. I started smoking weed in 1964 when I joined the navy, I got lucky and was stationed at Moffett Field 30 miles from San Francisco,the "beatniks" & "hipsters" were morphing into "hippies". I stood out like a sore thumb in the Haight. Back then most all the weed was low~medium-grade mexican,seeds,stems,dirt...etc. A "lid" 1oz went for $10, a "matchbox" $5, a "kilo" $90~$100. Then came high-grade mexician Alcapulco gold, Michoacan, Colombian...etc, prices doubled. Decent homegrown showed up to compete with south of the border weed. Marijuana has increased in potency,and the people smoking now are getting younger before they mature to make decisions about drugs and their consequences, marijuana is not for everyone. I hope in 10 years people can grow their own without hassel.

[The Mad Toker]

Awsome thanks for the input. Apoligies on the delay in replying, just been extremely busy. The way things are going I should have things almost finished by July unless I somehow get more time off work. Cheers!