Sir Blaze Ridcully takes over to answer all of your burning weed-related queries. Hold onto your butts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Hey there, friends! This is Blaze, your friendly neighborhood pothead. My buddy Puf is on vacation this month, so I’m flying this here weed plane solo. That’s right. This isn’t ask a couple of potheads anymore; it’s ask one singular pothead for this issue.
In other words, this shiiiiiiiz is mine, all mine! Suck it, Puf.
Just kidding. Puf will be back next month, as snarky as ever.
But for this month, I’ll be your safe place for answers on all things pot. And you can ask me and JUST ME about ANYTHING YOU WANT TO in here. There are no rules. You can even email me at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday if you want to. The world is my freak-ing pothead oyster! Ain’t no-body dragging me down.
Anyway, this month is a doozy, with questions on weed tourism, interstate weed transport, and where to get the cheapest stuff cause life is expensive. So without further ado, let’s get to it.
I live in Colorado where weed is legal and want to mail a friend some edibles in Oregon where it’s also legal. Is there any way I can do this?
Blaze: Sorry, my dude. No can do. Despite marijuana being legal in both states, weed is still federally criminalized and considered a Schedule I drug by the federal government. So, if you ship marijuana over state lines (whether you use USPS, UPS, or FedEx) and if you’re caught, it can be considered a federal crime. You could end up facing felony charges, jail time, and lots of money in fines. So, until weed becomes legalized federally (which we can only keep praying to Zuul for), you’re going to have to be satisfied with sending your friend a gift card or Venmo-ing them so they can treat themselves at their local dispensary.
I’m visiting Denver and want to explore some of the weed tourism there. What is there to do?
Blaze: Denver has long been considered a top destination in the U.S. for weed tourism. After all, we were the first state to legalize it back in 2012. Because of that, there are lots of things to do in Denver if you’re wanting to fully immerse yourself in weed culture. To start, you can enjoy one of the handfuls of marijuana lounges located across the city. These establishments operate like bars, in a way, except instead of beers, it’s marijuana. While every establishment has its own way of doing things (some require that you purchase membership while others only allow you to consume edibles), it can be a chill place to get to know other Denver stoners. On top of that, you can take weed tours, classes where you can paint and puff, and cooking classes where you can get stoned and learn a new recipe.
Weed deliveries are legal in Denver. When do you think other parts of Colorado will offer deliveries, too?
Blaze: Weed deliveries can be a convenient way for stoners to stock up on their cannabis stash without having to leave home. Unfortunately, it’s not offered in many areas outside of Denver with exceptions like Aurora and Boulder which are located just outside of Denver. This is because weed delivery legislation is going to be dependent on the city you live in. Your local city legislatures will be responsible for not only legalizing weed delivery but deciding on any rules and regulations that dispensaries will have to abide by if they choose to approve it.
I have a conviction in Colorado from getting caught with weed way back when before it was legal. Is it possible for me to get this expunged from my record?
Blaze: In light of its current legalization, marijuana criminal charges that are still hanging over people’s heads seems a little ridiculous. In 2017, Colorado passed legislation to help people with old marijuana convictions get their records removed and sealed. However, whether you’re able to do this may depend on what your charges were. Your best course of action is to consult with an attorney, or, depending on where you live, consult a legal clinic in Boulder or Denver counties.
Whenever I smoke indicas I gain a lot of energy, but when I smoke sativas I get tired. When I researched, I found that it’s supposed to be the opposite. Is something wrong with me?
Blaze: Absolutely not! The anticipated effects of a strain are pretty generalized. There’s no hard and fast rules for how marijuana is supposed to make you feel, think, etc. In fact, I think it’s pretty common for people to have various experiences depending on the strain. I think it would actually be pretty boring if everyone had the same reactions, to be honest. I myself have had plenty of times when I’ve had a sativa and passed out on my couch immediately after or smoked an indica then proceeded to clean my entire kitchen. I say go with the flow and don’t let expectations ruin your experiences.
I want to use cannabis but I don’t want to feel high. What sort of products should I use?
Blaze: To be clear, the CBD in cannabis is the non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis while THC is the psychoactive ingredient. What this means is that THC will get you high while CBD won’t. However, marijuana dispensaries cannot sell CBD-only products — all products must include THC. However, some dispensaries do sell products that contain high amounts of CBD and a small percentage of THC. Most likely, these products will not get you high, but just to be on the safe side, try them in small amounts. If you want to use cannabis but avoid THC completely, you can also visit CBD-only stores that provide products with zero THC.
Why does marijuana feel different when I smoke it rather than eating it in edible form?
Blaze: When you’re smoking marijuana rather than ingesting it, your body is absorbing THC in a completely different manner. When you smoke marijuana, the THC is going directly to your brain rather than being processed using different organs. This is why, when smoking, you tend to get stoned much faster than when you ingest it via edibles. On the other hand, when you take edibles, your body processes the edible using your liver, creating a chemical called 11-hydroxy-THC. The digestive process may take longer for you to get high, but it will be a more potent high.
I tend to buy cheap pipes to smoke weed out of. Inevitably, they always end up breaking, getting lost, or become gross enough to where
I don’t want to clean
them. Is that a bad way
to use weed?
Blaze: Cheap pipes for life! Did I just discover a new band name? As I used to do the same thing, I personally don’t think it’s a bad way to ingest weed, but it’s not so great for the environment to keep buying and throwing away cheap pipes. If it’s becoming a real problem or you’re feeling guilty or you’re over constantly having to replace your hardware, consider going the edible route (much harder to lose) or buying an expensive vape that will inspire you to not lose or break it.
I get headaches. A lot. And sometimes they’re debilitating. I’m not big on smoking weed but would marijuana help with my headaches?
Blaze: I feel this person’s pain. I am a long-time sufferer of painful headaches from when I was a kid that eventually morphed into vomit-inducing migraines. Over the years, however, I have found that the answer to your question is “yes.” Mari-juana can help you with your headaches. There has been many an instance where I was hellbent on never moving again be-cause of a migraine, but Puf passed me their vape and within five minutes I was feeling well enough to rally. Science backs me up on this as a 2019 Washington State University study found that cannabis cut headache and migraine pain by half. I say this while acknowledging that everyone’s bodies work differently, and while there is always the chance it might not work for you, it can’t hurt to try. If you’re not a big fan of smoking weed, you’re a weed newbie, or you straight up just don’t want to get high when you have the headache from hell, I suggest tok-ing on a few puffs of CBD only strains and either avoid THC or smoke a strain that has low THC content. And if you do, just take a few hits.
GodDANG weed is expensive. Ain’t nobody got cash for that. I need a deal. Where can I find the cheapest weed in Colorado?
Blaze: Well, it all depends on exactly what you are looking for, friend — and how far you’re willing to drive. The good news is that there’s a ton of information out there about the average price of weed in Colorado (yay, research!) so we know where the average costs are and what you may want to shoot for if you’re looking for the absolute cheapest stuff around.
While I can’t say for certain, what the studies show is that if it’s cheap flower you want, you’ll need to head to Montezuma County, where cannabis sells for $3.06 per gram on average. For concentrate, plan a trip to Pueblo County, where concentrate sells for $11.74 on average.
Just a reminder, though, that weed and concentrate prices can vary by a LOT, especially depending on the dispensary, the rarity of the strain, and other factors, so maybe don’t bank on your drive out to Montezuma County to be worth it without doing your own research. Gas prices are a bitch, so…you’ve been warned. Homework is necessary.
I’ve been smoking weed for a long time, and I also have terrible short-term memory. I’ve always blamed marijuana for it, but is this accurate?
Blaze: I actually had to Google this because I do the exact same thing. Turns out, science doesn’t know a whole lot about it either. According to Harvard Health Publishing of Harvard Medical School, the TCH is marijuana can cause short-term memory issues because of how it attaches to brain receptors in areas that manage memory formation. However, not a whole lot is known about its long-term effects. If your memory issues are something you’re concerned about, perhaps consider taking a break from using cannabis and see how your brainpower fairs after that. That or do sudoku puzzles more often!
I live in Hawaii where I am a registered cannabis user with a Board of Health permit to grow 10 plants. I have been using and making RSO for my old joint injuries and arthritic pain with great success. My problem has always been at the end of the cooking process in my crockpot, which gets up to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, the oil is so thick I can just barely scrape it out of the pot. I always use Everclear or 190-proof
Clear Spring alcohol as my solvent. What am I doing wrong, maybe overcooking? Can this real thick goo be thinned out?
Blaze: I’m so glad to hear that Rick Simp-son Oil (RSO) has been working so well for your joints and arthritis. I personally don’t know much about RSO, but based on what small bits of information I do know, RSO is supposed to be pretty thick. Once your oil starts to thicken, consider adding more water and either lowering your heat or completely removing it from heat before it gets too thick.
I have asthma but I’ve been smoking marijuana for years. I don’t feel like it’s impacting my asthma but I’d like to know if there are any long-term negative effects.
Blaze: We highly recommend that you talk to your doctor about your asthma and smoking because you really shouldn’t be smoking (period) if you have asthma. Smoking can cause inflammation in your lungs, triggering asthma attacks and make your symptoms worse than they already are. Since we’d really like to see you live on to continue to enjoy cannabis, please consider other equally great options. We highly recommend that you cross over to taking edibles if you’re really wanting to keep a bit of dankness in your life.
I’ve heard of marijuana lounges opening in Denver, but what are they? I’d like to go to one but want to know what to expect.
Blaze: Marijuana lounges are a bit like bars for people who would rather spend their evening ingesting cannabis than alcohol. It’s a way for people to ingest marijuana in public, legally, with their social circles. While lounges have the option to be public areas, many of these types of businesses choose to remain private as, under Denver laws, otherwise guests would not be allowed to smoke inside. Unfortunately (but understandably), many of these lounges were closed during the coronavirus pandemic like restaurants and bars. Many of those lounges in Denver have since re-opened, most even in time for the beloved 4/20 celebration.
