Ah Cannabis! We’ve been a hot couple since 1985!! Yep I’m that old. Born in ’72 and a proud Gen X’er! I’ve been through the struggles of trying to score weed on a Friday night to be stocked up for the keg party in the woods. But while both Gen X (born 1965-1980) and Millennials (born 1981-1996) have a love for weed, let’s be honest, Gen X had it waaaaay harder than you guys. Lets break it down to see who truly reigns supreme in the world of weed.
That’s right, Millennials. You have it easy.
Back in our day, getting your hands on cannabis wasn’t as simple as downloading an app or browsing a neatly labeled menu at a dispensary. No, Gen X had to hustle. We had to take risks. We had to smoke some seriously questionable stuff. And lots of seeds where in that questionable stuff. And yet, here you are, Millennials, with your fancy edibles, boutique dispensaries, and THC-infused cocktails. Dont get me wrong I love those dispensaries but man you guys wouldnt have made it trying to score like we did.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see just how much tougher Gen X had it when it came to cannabis.
1. Scoring Weed: A Mission, Not a Transaction
Millennials: You order weed like it’s DoorDash. Open an app, browse the strains, place an order, and boom—your perfectly measured, lab-tested, professionally packaged cannabis arrives at your doorstep. Maybe you even rack up some loyalty points for your next purchase. Yoy can even go online now and find dispensaries near you!
Gen X: We had to KNOW A GUY. And that guy was usually some shady dude with a nickname like “Joe bags” or “Turtle,” who would meet you in a parking lot at a very specific time that he was never on time for. You didn’t get to pick a strain. No, you got whatever he had, and you didn’t ask questions. If it smelled like gasoline and oregano? Tough luck. That was your Friday night. 90% of the time we got burned on that deal, but we kept going back and back for more.
2. Weed Quality: Mystery Bags vs. Lab-Tested Luxury
Millennials: “Oh is this an indica dominant hybrid with a myrcene forward terpene profile?” You get options. Indica, sativa, hybrid? You can even get a strain designed to help you focus while working. Everything comes in pristine packaging with THC percentages clearly labeled, so you know exactly what you’re getting. Thc %, CBD% , shit, we didnt even know what CBD was back then. Terpenes?, Trichomes? pfffft those words didnt even exist in my weed vocabulary. Its easy now to find strain names and all that info by going to Leafly.
Gen X: We got a sandwich baggie full of mystery weed, tied shut with a twist tie from a loaf of bread. Was it indica? Sativa? Some weird backyard strain grown by a friend’s cousin? Who knows? The only test we had was smoking it and seeing what happened. You either got high or a headache! Harsh dry dirt weed, brick weed, loaded with seeds and stems and most of the time oregano to make the the bag seem bigger. Like wow dude what a score .
Oh lets not forget the Pinner Joints this dude Andy use to sell us for $3 a pop, probably the size of that twist tie I referenced earlier, all stems and oregano sprinkled with weed. It was great having the seeds explode in your face unexpectedly. Good Times!
Check Out Strain of The Month
3. Smoking Methods: Survival vs. Science
Millennials: You have an entire industry dedicated to making cannabis consumption easier. Vape pens, THC gummies, low-dose mints, infused seltzers, tinctures, and even lotions. You don’t even have to smoke if you don’t want to!
Gen X: We made bongs out of whatever we had. A soda can? Poke some holes in it. An apple? Carve that sucker up. A two-liter bottle and some tinfoil? Congratulations, you just built yourself a gravity bong. Lets not forget the classic brass pipe every dude made in shop class in high school.
Edibles? We had to make them ourselves. No pre-measured, perfectly dosed gummies. We were out here winging it with homemade brownies, not knowing if we were about to have a mild buzz or get launched into another dimension for six hours.
Here’s a neat little article from Healthline on Vaping vs. Smoking
4. Rolling Skills: Old School vs. Fancy Gadgets
Millennials: Technology is definately on your side here. You all got pre-rolls, automatic joint rollers, Volcano vaporizers, and if you want to feel old schoool and dont know how to roll, theres a Youtube video out there for you.! lucky bastards, lol
Gen X: We could roll a joint driving the street using our knees to steer, jamming to some good ol 80s metal hair bands and roll 1 handed in the dark during a power outage. It was something to master and needed to know how to do in the 80s. With the dry dirt weed we had it was fairly easy.
5. Buying Experience: Sketchy Deals vs. Spa-Like Dispensaries
Millennials: You walk into a dispensary with bright lighting, friendly budtenders, and carefully curated selections. There’s calming music playing, everything smells nice, and you can even get a printed receipt.
Gen X: We had dark alleyways and parking lot meetups. No storefront. No receipts. No exchanges longer than 30 seconds. And the guy you bought from? He was ALWAYS late and most likely ripped you off.
Oh, and sometimes the weed guy also sold other things you definitely weren’t interested in, which made things even sketchier., especially when they asked you to hang out and smoke with them, fumbling for an answer as to why you cant hang and just want to get the fuck out of there. I often question how I’m still alive, lol
6. Munchies : Doritos vs Avocado Toast
Millennials: “This infused matcha smoothie bowl really brings out the terpenes. ” You guys are out there making gourmet snacks, maybe some avocado toast with a drizzle of sriracha or organic popcorn with truffle salt. ( I do love the avocado toast , but with olive oil and goat cheese)
Gen X: We will destroy an entire bag of family size Doritos and a gas station hot dog or slab of pizza, wash it back with some corn nuts and a giant Slim Jim, then order the left side of the Taco Bell menu. We weren’t to over concerned about carbs and shit like that.
Final Thoughts: Gen X Had It Harder (And We’re Proud Of It!)
Listen, Millennials, we’re not saying you don’t appreciate cannabis. We’re just saying you don’t know the struggle. You’ll never experience the sheer adrenaline rush of picking up weed from a sketchy dude in a gas station parking lot, or the disappointment of realizing your stash is 30% stems.
Gen X walked so you could vape. We suffered through garbage weed, paranoia, and DIY smoking devices so that you could have custom strains, pre-rolls, and gourmet edibles.
So next time you pop a THC gummy and relax on your couch, take a moment to thank the Gen X stoners who paved the way. We earned it.
What do you think? If you’re Gen X, do you miss the thrill of the old days, or are you happy for the weed revolution? Drop a comment and let’s talk!
