Didn't wanna hijack the other thread but: Weed questions

[OriginalGeek]

I'm 53 and have supported legalization since I was 17 and moved out on my own and discovered weed. I was high every day for probably 6 years and then tapered off until I quit altogether when every job started drug testing and I had to feed my family.

My state has recently legalized medical oils and should eventually move on to smoking and, hopefully, recreational.

I don't recall ever getting hold of any one-hit weed but we got some decent stuff back in the day. A few bong hits would do the trick. So I keep hearing how it's much more potent now and they have different strains for different things.

So in anticipation of someday being less illegal my actual questions are:
1..What strain is best for rocking out (or zoning out) to music?
2..Does it make a difference what kind of music?

Me and my friends would get stoned and listen to Rush and Zep and Pink Floyd and Sabbath and it was just the best. We got high at concerts with no problems. I don't remember ever being paranoid or anything but that may have just been because of the available product at the time. Nowadays I would be listening to anything from that brilliant John Coltrane piece posted in the 1970 music thread (Thanks Codeine!) to brutal, technical progressive death metal to 80's thrash or even bluegrass and classical. Of course, I'll always have room in the lineup for the Temples of Syrinx and Kashmir too.

Because I can promise you this - I will be in line the day they open a legal recreational dispensary here. But I don't wanna look like a dope all hemming and hawing and not knowing what I want like I do every time I go in Panera.

[BannonsLiver]

1. My advice: Ask questions when you go to the dispenserary.

as a general rule of thumb your indicas are going to be more of a mellow, full body high strain and sativas are a more active high. i get a burst of energy after smoking a sativa. im sure someone will be along to disagree with that. we have a lot of experts here.

[OriginalGeek]

21. lol, i used to think I was an expert

and maybe I was for the available stuff then but I know I'm not any more.

[aikoaiko]

2. The Russians strains: AK47 and Chernobyl

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

3. Just google the seed vendors online...

They describe all the different kinds of pot from a growers POV. How much thc, the names, the kind of high you can expect.

To start ya off.....

https://www.nirvanashop.com/24-marijuana-seeds/

Then grow your own, it's kinda easy.

[OriginalGeek]

22. Ha, my dad tried to grow a plant once

his cat peed on it and killed it and he never tried again as far as I know. it was the in-between time after he and mom got divorced and before he remarried so I'm sure his second wife did not approve of such things and he was happy with a whisky anyway.

[earthshine]

4. One of my best joints ever was with Rush: A Farewell to Kings

I was 15. I smoked during the first song. By the time of the last song, Cygnus X-1, I was hallucinating stars and rocketships.

When I snapped out of it, I just wanted to go back!

I live in an illegal state (NC). I often thought, having it legal could take some of the fun out of it.

Now, as I am your age, I realize that it will be even more fun when legal.

Great music choices -- all of them.

Rush - When I want to think
Zep - To mindlessly rock
Pink Floyd (Waters years) - When I'm angry
Sabbath - When I'm nostalgic for my teen years

I've been having an Alan Parsons renascence for the past few weeks. The man who produced Dark Side of the Moon, has made more music that sounds like Dark Side, than Pink Floyd.

[OriginalGeek]

12. I just saw AP a couple years ago

wish he would come back - it was spectacular show. I bet it woulda been out of this world if I was high. I had some good craft beer (the venue was small and snooty and offered good beers on tap and in bottles) and that was alright but just not the sames as concerts while smoked up.

[earthshine]

17. Saw Parsons once, maybe 15 years ago. They warmed up for Yes.

I was never much thrilled with their concerts. Not the one I saw. Not the ones on YouTube, except for these 6 short concert clips.

These are awesome. (It's original band members, and Eric Woolfson is in the audience.)

&list=PL2B044F829DD7421B

You can feel the gravitas of the music as soon as the first vid starts.

I just don't like the singers in most of the Parsons concerts on YT. Most of them have this young short-haired guy, and he a supremely awful!

That Alan himself can't tell how bad it is ... reminds me of why there's significant tape hiss to be heard on all of his 2014-remastered albums. I bought the box set and had to process the albums myself after ripping to my computer. The hiss easily comes out.

The last album of his I liked was "On Air." The albums that came after "Time Machine" and "Valid Path" are pathetically awful.

My favorite of all of them is Freudiana.

Peace.

[WheelWalker]

5. Try landrace equatorial or heirloom genetics; most pot today is not worth the paper it's rolled in.

“Legal psychoactive Cannabis allows for more than just recreational and medicinal use. Cannabis has an equally long, if not longer, history of use for divination, meditation, and magico-religious purposes, as an entheogen, as it does a narcotic. Even in western societies, as recent as the 1960s and 70s, Cannabis was part of the jazz, beat and psychedelic movements, used as a tool for introspection and expansion of consciousness.

“Over the last 30 years, we’ve seen a focus on Cannabis as more of a stupefacient and narcotic. This is not to say that devotees of traditional Cannabis haven’t been grumbling the entire time. Connoisseurs have been lamenting the loss of intellectually, and spiritually stimulating pot, in exchange for what was at first the infiltration of domestically grown indica, and what later became a genetically bottlenecked, poly-hybridized gene pool, high in THC, and possessing a dizzying array of flavors, but homogeneous in its ability to produce a bland, sedative effect, of limited utility to the artists, gifted academics, and spiritual sages who once embraced the species for its ability to enhance their intellectual and spiritual lives.”

From a Master Grower's Notebook (Washington State Tier-3 grower)

[Eyeball_Kid]

6. What the hell was THAT?

[WheelWalker]

11. Exactly. I couldn't have stated it better.

[BigmanPigman]

7. I thought it was just me.

Now I have others who share my lament and my personal experiences have been verified by other creative people. I assumed I was getting older and my body has changed or my memory of past highs/ effects was imagined.

[WheelWalker]

10. Be at peace. You are not alone.

[OriginalGeek]

13. my friends used to gripe at me

because I loved the taste of Joker 1.5s rice paper. So that's what I always rolled in. They were all "Damn man, why you using that bedsheet? Get a little zig zag and lets just smoke weed, not laundry!"

I don't know what any of that up there means but I'mma print it out and take it to the first legal dispensary we get and tell them to fix me up.

Oh yeah, besides listening to music I used to love to draw while high. I wish I still had any of those old drawings - even the dumb ones (which were quite a few). For a while I lived on a pallet in my best friend's mom's house. She was an art teacher at the local high school. I don't know if she ever truly knew what me and her son were up to (though as careless as we were about blowing smoke out the window i don't see how she could not) but she was just cool as hell and encouraged us to express ourselves artistically. I still draw some and have dabbled in numerous other forms of art and he is a brilliant photographer.

[some guy]

8. Since it seems you have some time before you'll be able to stand in line

I would suggest spending some time on the leafly website. It can help you figure out some current terminology.

If/when you get a chance to stand in line, try buying grams. The first time I bought legal cannabis, I bought a gram of a sativa, a hybrid and an indica. Tried them and compared my response to what Leafly claimed about them and have been trying various strains ever since.

I like sativas in the morning for energy - strains that rate high for beating stress and or depression, but score low for paranoia.

I like an indica for bed time.

There are over a thousand strains listed on Leafly, so no dispensary is going to have all of them.

My personal favorites for just enjoying being high include Timewreck, Thai Lights, and Starbud (which is hard to find in my area.)

https://www.leafly.com

I'm not affiliated with Leafly.com, but I do find it to be a useful resource.

[OriginalGeek]

14. bookmarked

thank you!

[Eyeball_Kid]

9. This from one who's known cannabis for nearly 50 years:

Decades ago, we used to think of "Jamaican" or "Cambodian Red" as primo strains. Now, the strains that can be bought as flower tops in recreational stores or even cloned plants are far more potent. Generally, they're sold in two categories: sativa and indica. And generally, indica is favored by medical pot consumers because of its narcotic-like "body high" that helps chronic pain sufferers from being uncomfortable. Sativa strains are known for mental stimulation and creativity. Recent cross breeding mixes the two, but one can still obtain purer strains in either category. Other factors can affect the kind of effect that pot has on consumers, such as the timing of the harvest and the methods of curing. For instance, a strong sativa strain can end up having a more "indica" effect if the plants are harvested late in the flowering phase, when trichomes (the tiny mushroom shaped structures in and around the buds) are turning from white to brown. A dominance of brown trichomes usually means that the cannabinoids are converting from pure THC dominance to cannabinoid molecules more associated with those "body highs."

Store-bought sativa buds purchased in recreational pot states can reach a 30% level of THC right now. Way back during those 1970s days, the estimated concentration was around 4-8%, give or take a few puffs. A good potency for the price comes when concentrations of 20% or higher are consumed, although some stores post "sale prices" of medium quality pot for 5-7 bucks a gram. The potent pot varieties can induce a euphoric effect after 1-3 hits. In stores, you generally get what you pay for.

I'm sure that there are varying opinions about pot and strain potency.

While Jefferson Beauregard III considers marijuana to be the scourge of western civilization, any cursory analysis of crime, health, and demographics in the states in which recreational pot is legal will show that pot consumption has not caused any crime waves or health epidemics of any kind. Sessions is, in truth, trying to manufacture another skirmish in the Culture Wars. His ignorance and political cynicism are a curse for all of us.

[OriginalGeek]

18. I remember thinking we scored

when we got Acapulco gold or Panama Red or Thai stick. Our other option was Oklahoma home grown which was absolute crap lol.

Another friend of mine's parents were dealers. We'd often go over there and his mom would say "Hey, try this - just got it in and not sure how much I should be charging for it" and a few times our answer was "ummmmmmm a LOT."

I don't now think she was really having her kid and his goofy friends doing quality control and R/D for her. I'm sure she knew exactly how much to sell it for because she knew what she paid for it but it was fun thinking we were part of the process lol. And, free high! Also I was in love with his older sister so I never minded being over there. She, of course, had no use for me. She only dated guitar players. She was cool and all but not enough to spend time learning how to play guitar.

[janx]

15. You have gotten some excellent advice here, especially from someguy and Eyeball kid. Word of

caution: Edibles ain't what they used to be.

I have six years on you, and I can attest to the fact that the edibles of today are not like the brownies you used to eat before the Bowie concert.

Take it EASY with those.

[OriginalGeek]

19. my wife and i were just talking about that last night

I mean, in that we both realized neither of us remembers ever having eaten a brownie although we knew they existed. I did make tea a few times and that was always a good experience, if not a culinary delight.

[Warren DeMontague]

24. here's what I would say about edibles, because I've had some GREAT experiences with those...

kinda outlined here in this post:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9413280

in terms of discretion, I mean, they can't be beat. No one is going to know what that chocolate bar you're eating is about.

Advice? Read the label and LISTEN to the stuff your state is probably going to put out in terms of edible advice. Here I think it was "Start low, go slow" and "Try 5". Namely, start off with a portion size of 5 mg THC, which is a fairly basic unit most of the states have determined as a single serving. For your regular pothead that may be low but they want to avoid people getting into an unpleasant place, and someone without a tolerance is pretty likely to notice a buzz from it- but, it won't be anything "holy fuck" unmanageable.

So what your state will probably tell you; eat a small portion and wait at least an hour, better two, to see how it affects you. And be prepared both for a longer experience and perhaps a more intense, psychedelic one. THC when processed through the liver actually gets turned into a more potent, almost hallucinogenic version of the THC molecule- another factoid I didn't know until legalization put all these experts in the public sphere!

Basically, with edibles, it may take a couple of times experimenting to get a feel for your proper preferred level and dosage. One of the many good things about legalization, as others have noted, the products are going to be tested and labeled and have a very specific content for THC and CBD, etc. What you DONT want to do is get, say, a candy bar and eat a piece, then a half an hour later be like "fuck nothing's happening" and eat the whole rest of the thing, ending up like Mo Dowd.

Be cautious and thoughtful and respect that it IS gonna have an effect, and you'll be fine. It's actually an extremely enjoyable way to get high, once you get the procedure down.

[Bradshaw3]

27. Well said on edibles

They are my preferred method. Like you said take it slow the first and even second time. Each person can eventually find the right "dose" for them. And what I've found is that when you do - for me it's a quarter of a brownie - then it is about like taking an OTC pill. I have found the dosage to be remarkably consistent each time. I prefer the indica or hybrids, but each to his own.

[librechik]

16. In a legal rec state like Colorado the THC content is not guesswork--they're tested and labelled

The top strain I've seen is 31% THC. However, this pot did not compare to a couple of rare experiences I had in the past with weed that was truly psychedelic just naturally. Nevertheless, if you stick with the high THC varieties you will be more than satisfied. Just ask for the high THC brands (Willy Nelson and Snoop both have High THC products) and you will not be disappointed. If you are looking for medical, the dispensary will be able to tailor to your needs.

AS for the perennial claim that pot is dangerously more powerful today than in previous eras, that claim is total bullshit scare tactics. Never happened in my (broad and deep) experience of dope. How I wish it were true! But the notion is not supportable as it is anecdotal. In Colorado we lean on science to determine how powerful the pot is potentially. Still we get newbies who pass out and head to the ER with even average THC content. I say, WTF??!! Give me some of that pass out stuff! I'll show you how to use it!! and I never find it. Just nice comfortable highs.

But I agree with others. watch out for edibles. They will hammer you unbidden. The only time I wished I hadn't consumed was with an edible.

[OriginalGeek]

20. I have tickets to see Willie Nelson in October

I'm guessing I will be smelling a familiar scent...Back in the day we brought bags into shows and rolled for the aisle. Nowadays I'm surprised when I smell it because most venues are non-smoking of any kind so I don't know how they hide that flame. But they do - I smell it but never see it unless I'm right next to it.

[Warren DeMontague]

23. What others in the thread have said.

When the time comes, most likely your local establishment will (should) have knowledgeable staff. Conversations I've had with folks employed in our state cannabis industry - mostly Millennials - they seem to posess a simply dizzying amount of information about not just strains and THC/CBD content, but stuff like terpenes, etc etc.

The science as well as the anecdotal understanding of these factors has just increased by leaps and bounds since the days when I was a regular pot smoker, when there were only two kinds of pot; "kind" and whatever the hell else people had to smoke.

Also don't be shy when the day finally comes, about seeming to not know what you're talking about or asking questions- that's what they're there for, and believe me, you won't be the only one. The experience of finally, actually going into a legal marijuana place is kind of exhilarating for folks- many of us whom, as you say, have waited our whole lives for this moment. So, it's not like you're at the jack-in-the-box and everyone needs to grab their lunch and get out in a hurry. The educational process is part of the fun, too.

I would suspect for your own personal tastes, a bit of experimentation will also help you determine what works for you best. Also remember, it's not just about THC content-- a good THC/CBD mix can help both with anxiety and pain relief.

On music, of course we all have different tastes and there's a tremendous amount of incredibly stony stuff from the old days, from Coltrane to Davis to King Crimson to The Dead/Floyd/Zep etc etc... that stuff is always fun to revisit with new ears;

but also, since the Millennials are clearly fans, broadly, of the cannabis plant, they're also creating a tremendous amount of new, very psychedelic music. I'd recommend checking some of that stuff out too. The same young folks at the Dispensary with the weed knowledge may also be a great source for itunes recommendations...

Last piece of advice I would give, if you can, take a field trip/vacation to a legal weed state to check it out and see how it all works!