Great thread. I too think it smells different that my recollection in the 80's. I was out on a walk one evening with home- from-college DS over the summer. There was a horrible smell several blocks in to our walk. Skunk, for sure I thought and said to DS, looking around nervously. "Mom, that is weed, seriously, skunk?? Weed mom."

My weed connoisseur brother told me the really skunky smelling weed is crap weed.

Anonymous wrote:20 years ago I always thought it smelled like skunk.

Well, the 80s wasn't 20 years ago, so there's that.

it has always smelled like skunk.

20 years ago I always thought it smelled like skunk.

I thought some of the new stuff used an oil secreted from a skunks prostate?

The smell changed. Back in the day it had a unique smell that was totally different than it is now.

the entire city smells like skunk these days. its disgusting

What smelled like catnip in the 80/90s was also extremely dry;

- it was likely smuggled in illegally from Mexico. Dry = easier to smuggle.

It was known as “Mexican ditch weed.” Not very potent.

The newer skunk weed was probably grown indoors, in a hydroponic “grow house.”

The strain of marijuana was bred to be hundreds of times more potent than in the 90s.

You smelled like a skunk in the 80s too.

Anonymous wrote:I’m 50 and wonder the same damn thing!!! It is so strong and skunk like nowadays.

In my teens/20s/30s it smelled like cat nip. The smell has definitely changed.

And I smell it all over the DMV, even driving with my windows up!

Marijuana has been bred or “hybridized” to be far far more potent today.

Yeah, it does. It's awful. Must be the chemical makeup of it. I work in this industry and feel I should know the answer to this, but don't.

I’m 50 and wonder the same damn thing!!! It is so strong and skunk like nowadays.

In my teens/20s/30s it smelled like cat nip. The smell has definitely changed.

And I smell it all over the DMV, even driving with my windows up!

I've always heard it called weed!

The Tysons Corner Mall parking lots always smell like skunk so I guess teens hotbox their cars?

As a semi-regular user in the 80s, I would never have called the smell skunk-like, but now it definitely smells like that to me. Did I just not realize it back then? Has a new formulation/strength changed the smell? They call it weed instead of pot now, too, I am also aware.