[jdhn]

>It would be great to see the industry refocus on products that are designed to be consumed in moderation.

I feel that the legal weed industry is speedrunning the past decade of craft brewing. Craft beer focused on growing the scene while focusing on higher and higher ABV beers, but now is transitioning back towards beers that are a bit more sessionable and don’t get you blasted after 2 beers. Wouldn’t be surprised to see the weed industry start focusing on sessionable items sooner rather than later.

[FloatArtifact]

Underlying assumption is that moderation is the issue, however it's addiction for those that can't quit. In layman's terms, the brain's chemistry has been altered permanently. This can happen for some even after the first use THC, opioids, alcohol and you name it.

Obviously the progression doesn't happen as fast for some. However, the key being they can't quit in moderation or in excess. Some can abstain for 3 months, some for six, thinking they don't have a problem but then find themselves using even a little. There's a self-rationalization as well as self-centeredness that's part of the disease process of addiction. I would say it's not only a disease process but it is a huge factor. Cross addiction substituting one substance for another is also part of that self-rationalization.

[bko]

I hear this claim often that your brain chemistry changes from substance use and it makes sense when you look at addicts. But with other things relating to addiction, I found claims to be hyperbole. An example is addiction is a disease no different than cancer. We don't want to tell addicts to just cut it out. But is it true? Are there scans of people before and after a while of chronic substance abuse that shows brain differences? Can we scan someone's brain and tell that they're addicts? Honest question, I don't know

[j16sdiz]

> ... it's addiction for those that can't quit.

...can't quit without side-effects.

Most addicts can stop using immediately with the side-effect that becoming less productive/energetic.

For THC, it is relatively easy to mitigate most side effects by adjusting the dose.

Modulation is not the key, but helps a lot

[mtreis86]

Cannabis has an inverse relationship between potency and health as alcohol. Drinking a dozen beers is (marginally) less dangerous than a dozen shots, because it takes longer to process and alcohol is a toxin. THC isn't a toxin. The smaller amount you inhale, of smoke or vapor, the better. I'll take a puff of some 90+% vapor any day over having to smoke an entire joint for the same effect.

What we need is more accurate vapor delivery devices that can meter better.

[TylerE]

Disagree. Those 12 beers contain a vast amount of carbs that will not be in the liquor.

Now, sure, if you slam 12 shots of Cuervo back to back you're going to have a bad time - 12 shots is an entire bottle if you're actually getting full pours.

But if you consumed one shot or one beer every hour... no difference in the effects.

[arthurbrown]

Not sure why edibles are routinely disregarded in many of these discussions. They seem like such an obvious answer

[bitcharmer]

> Drinking a dozen beers is (marginally) less dangerous than a dozen shots

It's easy to drink 12 shots in succession, but it's very hard to take 12 beers in a reasonably comparable amount of time. This is not a good comparison. It's obviously much easier to poison yourself with strong alcohol.

[DANmode]

THC is absolutely considered a toxin by your body, as are any byproducts being released by your vape, unless you're really, really lucky.

Not anti in any way, so please don't jump at me without looking first.

[blueprint]

mark my words.. vapor cartridges are probably way more dangerous to lungs than smoke

[dylan604]

Very much in agreement. Cannabis as a medicine means needing other cannabinoids other than THC. The minors all contribute in ways that we're just now really starting to study for a better understanding of the why.

[DANmode]

Relearning old lessons.

Oils from plants in nature are super helpful, when used correctly!

(Hint: if you're a medicinal user in any form, probably best to stop lighting shit on fire)

[phone[phone]]

I wonder what the impact of cannabis being illegal federally has on this sort of thing.

A lot of people went from drinking beer and wine when Prohibition was first enacted in the US and moved to liquor. This happened because many of the speakeasies would rather have a given volume of liquor versus beer because they can serve more customers and there is less of a concern about your product being large and conspicuous.

With illicit drugs you often find the producers making the drugs more and more concentrated so they can move more product in a smaller volume and then step on it to make up the bulk later down the supply chain.

It would make sense to me that dispensaries would be more interested in buying and receiving higher THC product because they can either do more with less or they can have customers come in less often and serve more of them.

[DANmode]

MAJOR impact.

People are only aware of what they can put hands on in their locale.

It's basically the one thing I hope Amazon gets their way on (they're one of the bigger lobbyists for legalization).

[roguas]

When you put metrics on something. You see its limits... then you push them. Every industry does that till they find sky is the limit but its actually about balance.

[binarymax]

Still waiting for the craft beer scene in the US to get out of its grapefruit juice phase.

[chefandy]

I dug the initial intense craft beers that started coming out in the late 90s/early 2ks, but got sick of it pretty quickly. A highball with American whiskey is my goto chillout drink, but when I drink beer, I like subtlety-- European pilsners, really mellow dry stouts, brown ales, and things like that. Most US craft beer fans' palates, and the commensurate offerings from craft breweries, are so jacked up that they don't even realize how distant they are from something I'm interested in drinking. The styles of the same name offered by US craft breweries are so extra compared to their namesake styles that they're totally different animals.

I'm not going to lie-- I'm also put off by some vibes in the craft beer scene has taken on in the past 10 or 15 years. When many craft beer fans see me order a classic European pilsner, with shocking frequency they a) attempt to shame me for ordering such a 'boring' beer, b) assume they need to educate me about this amazing thing called craft beer that I've clearly never encountered before, or c) assume my palate is unsophisticated. Like... listen bro... I'm a classically trained chef-- I've spent more time actively developing my palate than you've spent even thinking about it. I can tell you things you didn't know about the beer you're drinking based solely on your breath. Some very big names in craft beer were my multiple-times-per-week drinking buddies for years. I'm glad you've cultivated a passion for a locally-made food/bev product... now go be smug about your foamy bug spray juice elsewhere. lol

[zerocrates]

The whole New England/juicy/hazy IPA space has been the "fad" for so long that the fad cycle almost doesn't seem to exist anymore.

[dang]

I strongly agree and yet have marked this offtopic.

(saving this for the next time someone claims we moderate HN according to our personal beliefs...)

[garrickvanburen]

yep. I'm currently pretty fatigued with the offerings at bottle shops and taprooms....increasingly glad I committed to brewing my own a long while back. Currently sipping on a very delightful British Golden Ale - a style I haven't seen commercially available around me, but will now be a standard in my summer brewing.

[vintermann]

Why would an industry that sells a addictive and harmful product do that? alcohol is more harmful and cannabis is more addictive (comparing how many say they try to quit), but apart from that they're not so different from the market perspective.

Craft beers are just a niche. I don't trust the industry to self-regulate towards less profit.

[ForDoLupe]

Gotta just be blunt here and let you know that yours id an awful take and those are awful reference points you're drawing from there. I'm stunned to find anyone this far removed from the release of "Reefer Madness" who believes that cannabis is more addictive than alcohol.

As a recovered addict who has spent many months in multiple rehabs and many hours at meetings -- with hundreds of other addicts, I can assure you that booze is EASILY more dangerous/unhealthy/addictive than weed. Across the board; worse by every general measure.