[huntertwo]

> The flower you smoke looks the same no matter if it has 5% THC or 35% THC

I get what you’re saying - but this is not practically true. Weed that contains 35% THC has a lot to do with the conditions it’s grown in which affects a lot of the other physical qualities of the weed. Smell, color, size of nug, density, humidity all are very correlated with potency.

[leptons]

And none of that matters to 90% of people going into a dispensary these days. A lot of people who weren't "stoners" are going to legal dispensaries and buying whatever the girl at the counter is pushing. They can't tell the smell, color, size, density or anything from one strain to another. Then they smoke too much and get "the spins".

[gravitronic]

This feels like a negative summary with a lot of assumptions chained on.

Alternate take, dispensaries have enabled many people I know to get a reliable product that acts the same each time they buy it and use it, and let them dial in exactly what strain and quantity and method of ingestion works best for them. Before the commercialization one never had the diversity and reliability of product they have now.

Contrast that to the before times where people, as you put it, bought whatever the dealer was selling.

[rightbyte]

How can humidity at sale be correlated with anything but how thick the leaves are and when they were picked?

Density is just a measure of humidity in practice and thus pick date.

[gravitronic]

The desirable product to smoke is not the leaves, it's the bud. Sticky bud is considered better, dry bud considered worse