Filed Under: We Survived D.A.R.E., We Deserve Better Bud
Colorado’s cannabis scene is pushing a story that’s hard to stomach: weaker weed is saving the day. According to Terrapin Care Station, a dispensary chain trying to bridge the gap of a $200 million dip in state marijuana sales, the answer is lower-THC products, especially for the over-50 crowd. Their area manager, Adam Shepler, told 9NEWS that not everyone wants to get “completely blitzed” anymore. Instead, he claims people want “functionality” and weaker edibles, such as gummies, as low as five milligrams—half the state’s recommended single serving.
Shepler says it’s about “helping every customer feel better” and solving issues like anxiety and sleep disturbances, which he ties to the rising demand from older consumers. An AARP study from 2023 backs up part of his claim: one in five adults over 50 have used cannabis, with 68% citing sleep as their goal. The punchline? Shepler implies older customers are leading the charge for weaker weed, a market poised to end the industry’s sales slump.
This story reeks of marketing spin tailored for a specific narrative. Let’s start with the most insulting assumption: that Gen X—or anyone over 50—wants to trade their decades of hard-earned tolerance for low-dose training wheels. The implication that the generation raised on Black Flag and anti-establishment rebellion is clamoring for half-strength THC gummies is laughable. We’ve been smoking since the days when you prayed your baggie wasn’t half seeds and shake. Do you think we can’t handle modern strains? Please. Some of us were lighting up in dorm rooms while Reaganomics was killing the middle class. We didn’t stop because the weed got stronger—we adapted.
Sure, there’s a market for low-THC products. Maybe the newbies who can’t handle a bong rip without clutching their pearls are grateful for a softer entry. But don’t act like we’re all begging for weaker weed. Cannabis culture has always been about pushing boundaries—of the mind, of creativity, of tolerance—and now it’s being watered down into a homogenized, corporate-friendly experience. They’re not selling weed; they’re selling the illusion of safety to nervous suburbanites.
Let’s talk numbers. A $200 million drop in sales isn’t because weed’s too strong for the masses; it’s because dispensaries are stuck chasing trends and ignoring their core audience. Instead of catering to the seasoned smokers who’ve been loyal through prohibition, they’re pandering to imaginary demographics with baby-step products. They claim weaker weed will save the industry, but what they’re really doing is alienating the people who built it.
And that AARP report? Sure, a lot of older folks use cannabis for sleep or anxiety. But that doesn’t mean they’re asking for THC-free lullabies. Plenty of us want high-potency strains that knock us out better than any pharmaceutical, without the side effects. Functionality is fine, but functionality isn’t the point. Cannabis isn’t coffee; it’s not here to make you marginally less stressed while you sit in a cubicle. It’s here to connect you to a deeper sense of yourself—or at least help you laugh at reruns of Seinfeld like it’s the first time.
The real kicker? This softer-is-better rhetoric feeds into the larger corporatization of cannabis. Some dispensaries want to turn it into a sanitized, clinical experience, stripping away its rebellious roots. The stoners who fought for legalization didn’t do it for five-milligram gummies and watered-down flower that doesn’t even hit. They fought for freedom—the freedom to toke up and let your brain wander as far as the THC will take it.
So here’s the truth: Gen X isn’t asking for weaker weed. We’re asking for respect. We’ve been here since the beginning, rolling joints on album covers and hotboxing our friend’s van. We don’t need condescending campaigns about “functional highs” or patronizing assumptions about our tolerance. Give us strong, reliable weed that gets the job done—or risk losing the customers who kept this industry alive long before it was trendy.
If dispensaries want to bridge their sales gap, here’s a tip: stop chasing the lowest common denominator and start listening to your loyal customers. We’re not asking for less—we’re demanding more. And if the dispensaries can’t deliver, well, there’s always the dude down the block with a better deal and stronger stuff. Pass the joint—and make sure it’s worth smoking.
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