I wasn't there in the 70s, but from what I understand potency of the 70s wasn't nearly what it is today. I have no source for this, but I've been in countless circles with long time smokers who all correlate the same story; that modern day mids was literally the best quality Marijuana you could find in the 70s. So that's probably about 10% THC compared to 30% THC which is not uncommon today.
I don't smoke cannabis nearly as much as I used to. When I was a daily user it didn't have any intellectual effects so much as emotional ones. I would have been baseline mildly depressed and weed made it so much worse. That's not going to be a surprise to any objective observer.
When I do have it today I make sure to seek out the weakest stuff I can. It's annoying that you might just have one option below 15%. Of course edibles are a far superior option in legal states. Easy dosage and no damage to your lungs. I'd also suspect that the milder (but longer) highs are easier on the brain.
When you smoke with people these days, they only take a couple of hits. In the 90s when we smoked it was joint after joint after joint.
It's basically the cigarette filter thing; people know where they want to get, and they'll keep going until they get there, no matter how weak you make it. Which is what made filtered cigarettes worse for your lungs than unfiltered ones.
The calculus would be different if you were talking about edibles, because they actually sneak up on and can surprise you.
