I was gonna write my column, but then I got high: The Cannabis Thread

Dude, I have no idea where you live, but I can be there
in 12 hours. With three pizzas and a sackful of cheeseburgers.

 

Haha! I live in the northeast.

I usually only smoke (actually, I prefer a dry herb vaporizer these days) after the kids are asleep, which means that I usually go for Ben & Jerry's, Oreos, shortbread cookies, or pie when the munchies hit.

 

Do you notice a difference in the high among leaf, edibles, and vaporizers?

 

The short answer is yes.

Basically, edibles take time before you start to feel anything, but the experience can last longer, which is why people have bad experiences. They take one, don't feel anything, so then they take more, and all of a sudden they're way past where they want to be.

When you smoke, you're going to feel the effects within five or ten minutes, and it'll last for anywhere from 30-90 minutes.

Using a dry herb vaporizer is similar to smoking flower, but it smells less, tastes better (in my opinion, at least) because you can taste the terpenes from the cannabis plant without smoke interfering with the flavor, and while I wouldn't say it's perfectly healthy, it's definitely better for you than smoking.

I've used disposable oil vapes on occasion, and the experience is similar, but I've never liked how my chest feels after using an oil vape. I find I have a productive cough the next day, and I'd rather not be coughing up lung butter.

The real difference in highs, besides edibles vs. vaping/smoking, comes from differences in strains. There are two species of cannabis plants (Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica) that have been cultivated for the purpose of feeling like Willie Nelson, as well as another, Cannabis Ruderalis, that doesn't produce as much THC, but does produce other cannabinoids and has been crossed with Sativa and Indica strains to produce flower with those unique cannabinoids in addition to THC. Generally, a straight Indica is going to produce a high that is felt in the body and can be soporific, while Sativa will give you more of a laughy head high that won't sap your energy as much. But really, so many strains are hybrids of Sativa and Indica these days that you're going to get a little of both with a lot of what is on the market.

As a mid-40s guy with some back and joint pain, I prefer Indica via a dry herb vape or an edible, though not all edibles specify what strain or species the cannabinoids were extracted from. My local gray market place makes some fantastic gummies using RSO (Rick Simpson Oil, an oil extracted from cannabis flower, generally from Indica strains) that give me the indica-type experience I prefer.

 

I was crushing up some buds to use in my one-hitter, and I wound up with a bunch of seeds — which just doesn't happen anymore (except for this time). If I knew how to grow, I'd see what these seeds can do because we're allowed to have up to, like, six plants for personal use. But I don't, so I won't.

I like the Indica gummies at night. A Sativa 30mg gummy is gonna get you good and high for several hours, up to five or six sometimes.

 

Since discovering the simplicity of Maryland dispensaries, I've tried to land on a best method. Dry flower, vape, hash, even a few edibles. I think I've realized that pre-ground flower is the most cost-efficient and yet effective. The THC is a little lower than full buds, but a half-ounce and a one-hitter can keep you happy for 7-8 weeks.

 

I've thought about trying to grow, but it seems like a really time-consuming hobby. Lots of equipment, lots of time, and one screw-up and you're starting at zero again. But then, I do get good sunlight in my yard, and I have a lot of unused plant pots, so maybe I'll buy some feminized seeds next year and we'll see what happens...

 

Me, a hopeless square, reading discussions of a one-hitter.

 

Yeah, I'm a one hitter kinda guy anymore, and an eighth of flower lasts me weeks. I can remember going to a party on Friday night and tossing an oz on the table and saying "Roll it up".

Of course that was back when an ounce of prime Jamaican bush weed cost twenty bucks, so...

 

I must admit, I have to go into the dispensary with a drop-dead budget. Because it's like walking into a candy store.

 

Over Christmas break last year, my son was in town and had a bag of gummies with him. He told me to take just one … and wow, 15-20 minutes later did it kick in. Had some great laughs with my young adult kids and absolutely was spacing out as I dried dishes before bed.

That was maybe a bit much for a guy who hadn’t smoked weed since the 1990s. But this summer I bought some beverages that were infused with that same stuff and a can or two of that was just right!