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What ever happened to high society? No, not the glamour of the 1930s. The real high society of the 60s and 70s.

Well, the good news is, it’s back. Marijuana is legal in over half the states, and that number is getting higher all the time.

As are Baby Boomers.

Not only are we smoking pot again, the stuff we’re consuming could put the wowie into Maui. And then some.

But don’t go dragging out your sandalwood incense just yet. Those wonderful folks who told us to puff the magic dragon are now spreading the word that we better be careful when we do.

According to Livescience.com, a March 2015 study found that “samples of marijuana in Colorado contained as much as 30 percent THC. In comparison, the levels of THC in marijuana 30 years ago were generally below 10 percent.”

“We have technology now that we didn’t have before,” said Patti Gordon, known as Paticakes to the listeners of her marijuana-themed podcast at hempradio.com. Gordon not only talks about marijuana, she bakes marijuana-laced cookies and pastries for Baby Boomers who don’t want to suffer the aches and pains of Baby Booming.

She pointed out that besides growing marijuana hydroponically, where controlled conditions serve to eliminate the effects of poor soil, uneven temperatures and, yes, Paraquat raining down from the skies, today’s dope is bred to be stronger.

“These are recent developments because we didn’t have the necessary wherewithal, technology, or  intelligence in the seventies,” Gordon said. Nor could we extract and concentrate THC into oils and waxes the way we can today. “And concentrates are stronger than smoking straight pot,” she said.

That’s right, the weed of our youth is the second cousin of the watered-down booze of Prohibition. But while science and technology combined to help us double down on our weed, age and chemistry turned around and double crossed us.

The pot we have today is the pot we wanted yesterday, but we’re not the stoners we were yesterday and today’s pot is for the stoners we were then but aren’t now. Okay, that may be a little hard to follow, especially when you’re not loaded.

So here’s the straight dope.

According to the fatherly.com website, waistlines, hair color, and bedtimes are not the only things that have changed since we started shaving under our arms again.

“Marijuana can cause blood pressure and heart rates to spike, as well as increase the risk of strokes, mini-strokes, heart attacks and heart disease. And of course, there’s the danger of weed interacting with other medications, plus a raised risk of falling and harshing the vibe.”

To be on the safe side, we should ask for permission before cracking open our pot stash. Not from our parents but from our doctors.

(Honestly, I’d rather ask my 101-year-old mother-in-law what time I have to bring my wife home on a Saturday night than ask my 40-something doctor if it’s okay for me to light up a joint.)

Better speak to your therapist or yoga instructor, too. As the fatherly.com website cautioned, “A 65-year-old bracing themselves for a high is likely to become worried or neurotic before any chemicals hit a neurological pathway.”

Okay. You’ve gotten the go-ahead from your doctor and you’ve mastered those deep-breathing exercises. Time to light up, right?

Wrong.

Today when you hum Along Comes Mary, chances are Mary isn’t snuggled in a joint. While we were paying off our mortgages the world has gone way beyond Zig Zag papers.

Gordon makes edibles for her clients, but she prefers to smoke flowers. Or use a dab (concentrated oil). For me, she suggested a vaporizer, which I’m told, will make me look sophisticated. “You just have to see what works for you,” she said.

With all the choices, it’s a good idea to discuss your options at one of the reputable marijuana dispensaries that have replaced local dealers whose names end in “y” or “ie.” There, according to the Seattle Weekly, you’ll be provided “ … with a buffet of options, from top-quality flowers in pre-rolled joints for people with arthritis to yummy sodas and hard candies for folks with asthma or COPD.”

How do you know if your dispensary is reliable? Gordon has a quick test. “If I walk in and there are 12-year-olds behind the counter, and dressed in black … when I see that I don’t go in.”

With a little care we can enjoy our pot again. And it’s high time, too.

Courtesy of Patti (Paticakes) Gordon