Back in our day, my wife and I enjoyed weed, so we went to our local shop and loaded up, but we get feelings of disorientation rather than the euphoria we remember. What’s up with that? — Mark Harvey

Weed is different these days. Cannabis seized by the DEA and tested in 2014 was 14 percent more potent than 20 years earlier, and it’s likely even stronger today. That’s because growers have been producing strains with more THC, the chief psychoactive compound, to give buyers a more potent high. Despite the demand for it, high-THC strains can be anxiety inducing, especially for those who are new to the plant or, like you, have been away from it for a while.

Try products high in CBD, the non-intoxicating cannabinoid that diminishes this effect. Those offerings have labels that give the ratio
of CBD to THC. A 1:1 causes a balanced, relaxing high, while a 2:1 induces only mild psychoactive effects.

Have a question for our budtender? E-mail budtender@chicagomag.com.