More Things Weed Smokers Should Know

So, your a bonafide stoner now. You've studied the things every weed smoker should know, and you're feeling confident. You are the master blunt-roller. An expert bowl-packer, and maybe even a novice dabber— but something is missing. Maybe when your friends break out the bud you can't quite tell what strain it is. Or you tried to grow your own stash and accidentally gave your sweet little baby plants heat stroke from messing with your lamps and bulbs. You've learned a lot, young Padawan, but there is always room to learn more. Tune in and turn on as we cover even MORE things weed smokers should know.

Q: I still don’t get the difference between Sativa and Indica. It seems like all strains are variations of Sativa.

A: There is always a bit of controversy concerning the botany of cannabis. Some feel that all marijuana varieties are simple variations of Cannabis Sativa, while another group feels just as strongly that there are as many as three distinct species: Cannabis Sativa (mainly of Mexican and South American origin). Cannabis Indica (Indian and Near Eastern origin) and Cannabis Ruderalis (the rare wild variety originating in Siberia and Afghanistan). Since only Cannabis Sativa is mentioned in the law, in the early days of the legalization movement some creative individuals used the "botanical defense” to try and get out of an arrest. There are in point of fact distinct variations of cannabis.

My grandpa thinks pot seeds grown in 100% hog manure, grow twice as tall as ones grown in black soil? I love my Grandpa, and he does have good pot, but the hog manure thing sounds far fetched.

Marijuana doesn't like muddy soil, so it's got to be either somewhat sandy or elevated in some way to permit drainage. The height of the plant is largely dependent on the species, not the soil, although chicken shit and composted horse manure add a lot of good nitrates. More to the point, who is going to harvest on a hill of hog shit anyway?

I recently went three weeks without pot. It was like a withdrawal. I was nervous, irritable and very bitchy. Is this a physical or psychological effect?

It is both. Although marijuana is a fairly weak drug, it is, nonetheless, a form of stimulant. The body adapts quickly to constant stimulation, and a tolerance develops after a short while. The same applies to coffee, which is why those who constantly drink more than four cups a day may also experience the same effects you mention when they get up in the morning before they have their first cup. You were suffering from a mild depression, both physical and mental, which is the standard effect of withdrawal from constant use of a mild stimulant.

Does the curing method of pot affect its potency or aroma? Should I just bake the leaves for a few minutes in an oven?

If you are going to cure your marijuana with an artificial heat source, it's good to keep a careful eye on the temperature. THC is a fairly delicate chemical, and it can be destroyed by temperatures Over 250 F. A little heat is good to dry out the weed so that it can be stored without getting moldy; mild heat may even help convert a small amount of THC to its active form. The oxygen in your oven, however, will eventually not only attack the THC in the dope, but it will also oxidize the delicate aromatics which give marijuana its distinctive taste and smell. Keep the temperature below 200 F, and take it out as soon as it's dry. If this is too complicated, sun drying has been the Standard method for centuries, and it is considerably gentler to the bud.

I have been told by different people how to make hash out of the stems of my plants. Is that a real thing?

All methods of trying to make hash out of plant stems are essentially worthless. The stems of the marijuana plant contain so little THC that it's simply not worth the effort.

What color is Nigerian black grass?

The final product is actually dark brown. Fresh marijuana ranges from light green to dark reddish-green the final color depends a great deal on how it is dried and cured. Home-grown can come out a bit emerald. Some South American varieties are reddish brown, and Acapulco Gold is indeed, yellow-gold. For marijuana to be black however, it would have to be carbonized; even the most wretched curing process would not turn green to black.

Does Jamaican Marijuana make you more active?

Marijuana is a stimulant, but when the stimulation effect wears off, it leaves one sleepy. On the other hand, it does tend to make dull and repetitious work more interesting. Laborers in many countries smoke it for this reason; the owner of a construction company in Colombia reported that he always kept his workers supplied with marijuana, even though it was patently illegal be cause they worked better when they were stoned. In a now-famous study done by The Institute for the Study of Man on Jamaican sugarcane workers intensive research was done on a group of these workers who would often smoke as many as ten spliffs per day. The study showed that although these workers were more active, they only accomplished 95% as much work as the straight workers. Apparently, they slashed away more actively, but missed more often. The other finding was that, as a group, they were happier and better adjusted than their non-smoking co-workers.

Does a person get higher eating marijuana than smoking it?

When a person eats hash or marijuana (which has to be cooked first), the active ingredients enter the body through the gastrointestinal tract. Technically, the same amount of marijuana will cause the same effects. However, since one gets stoned rather quickly when smoking. the tendency is to stop smoking at a certain point. However, it may take as much as two to three hours for effects to occur after eating, and since there is no immediate feedback, there is often a tendency to consume a considerably greater quantity when eating. When it hits later, it packs a real wallop. The chemicals will, naturally, tend to seep into the bloodstream for a longer period of time. Because of the unpredictability of the effects gained by eating, it should be practiced with care; naive users who eat it the first few times because they do not smoke are likely to get such a heavy effect that they may freak and never try it again.

Why whenever I get stoned, do my eyes get really red?

There are two causes for this. Because of its stimulant effect, all the small sphincters in the body constrict, considerably lessening both the flow of saliva and tears. For this reason, one can cut onions without tearing when stoned and experience the famous dry-mouth effect. Since the eye is not as well lubricated, it will become irritated after a while. The major cause of the bloodshot eye, however, is related to the fact that after the stimulation occurs, a relaxation of smooth muscles follows. Since the capillaries in the eye, like all capillaries, are formed of smooth muscle, they relax and become engorged, thus causing the bloodshot appearance. This capillary relaxation is also the cause of bloodshot eyes among those who have drunk too much alcohol.

Why is it so hard to get somebody stoned for the first time?

There are two reasons for this very common effect. The first is purely psychological; a person who has never gotten “high” on marijuana before will, naturally, tend to think of “high” as a variety of the "highs he has already experienced from alcohol and a high from a stimulant is quite different. Keeping one's eyes peeled for an alcohol-like high can make it difficult for a person to recognize that he is, indeed, stoned. The fact that the first few times may not be so dramatic is currently the source of some speculation among scientists. Apparently, THC is changed by an enzyme in the liver into the metabolite 11-hydroxy delta 9 THC, and many professionals feel that it is this metabolite which is the active form of THC. Since this enzyme is normally present in only small quantities, it may take several sessions to get the liver to start producing more, and thus be able to make use of the THC which is being ingested. The combination of this enzyme effect and the psychological unpreparedness is the chief cause of the “reverse tolerance so often noted among marijuana users.

One sure way to get positive effects is to use an ice-filled water pipe, making sure the initiate has indeed, gotten plenty of smoke in, and held it down long enough (fifteen to eighteen seconds). Then have him hyperventilate for about eight rapid deep breaths and on the final inhale, jam the pipe in his mouth. When he finally dislodges his head from the ceiling, he will have no doubts at all. P.S. For God's sake, don't do this unless you have thoroughly acquainted the person with what being stoned is all about. It's quite dramatic and you don't want to end up with your buddy gaily freaking about you apartment. Be gentle.

Why do I get the munchies when I get high?

Despite rumors to the contrary, scientific studies show that marijuana has no detectable effect on the blood sugar level in the bloodstream. However other studies have indicated marijuana is definitely an appetite stimulant. Because brain stimulant such a marijuana raises the awareness of all physical stimulation one would be on aware of hunger pains a considerably lower level than when one was straight. On you begin to eat, moreover, the increased sensitivity will make anything seen more tasty, or will make the texture more fascinating, which will lead one to wolf down a quart of ice cream or gobble a bag of potato chips with abandon. Dr. Andrew Weil, coauthor of the first controlled marijuana tests, - studied this effect in the late sixties. His findings were that people high on marijuana weren't suffering from increased hunger-just “hyperphagia” a complicated term best translated as “fascination with eating.”

Is it true that there is a poison used in cultivating marijuana?

During the second world war, extensive tests were undertaken to discover a better hemp (marijuana) since our supplies were in the hands of the Japanese. One of these studies involved the use of a chemical called colchicine. Applied to the immature female buds, it caused the next generation to become a diploid variant with considerably higher potency. Colchicine itself is poisonous which is why the mother plant should not be smoked. The word has gotten out by means of The Marijuana Cultivator’s Handbook, but it's not that easy to find colchicine on if you found a source, it’s not easy to obtain. a fascinating idea, but personally I have never heard of anyone actually doing it. Like that business of grafting hops to marijuana bottoms, it may be an elaborate hype. If anyone has succeeded in he colchicine connection, I'd love to hear from them.

Have scientists been able to synthesize the different kinds of THC?

There are about thirty other chemicals in marijuana besides THC, including cannabidiol, cannabinol, cannabigerol, and cannabichromene. The makeup from one plant to another varies considerably—from species to species, it's all over the map. Not only that, but depending on the time of day, your mood, and a host of other variables your head is also different from moment to moment. You're playing brain Ping-Pong with about fifty variables; and nobody will ever be able to make a prediction about the more subtle aspects of the high from one variety to another at a certain time. So perhaps there will be synthetic variants, but nothing to compare to the original.