Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jun 2013
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
Copyright: 2013 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: William Breathes

WHY DOES MY WEED SMELL LIKE PINE TREES AND ORANGES?

Dear Stoner: Why does my weed sometimes smell like pine trees, other 
times like oranges, and other times like hay?

Sniff Test

Dear Sniff: I'm going to get a little cosmic here. The cannabis plant 
actually has elements of other plants and living organisms in it 
called terpenes. Okay, all living beings produce them. They're 
basically tiny molecules of smell and flavor and are what make up 
things like essential oils and resins. That orange smell? Limonene, 
which is also found in actual oranges. The pine-tree odor is probably 
from delta-3-carene, which is also found in cedar and pine sap. And 
the same calming linolool found in lavender oil is found in Lavender Kush.

It's not just about smell and taste, though: Terpenes can enhance the 
buzz from THC. Earthy, hoppy mycrene, which is also found in mangos 
(and Kushes), is said to enhance the THC buzz in the brain. As for 
the hay? It's because someone got lazy and didn't grow, dry and cure 
their herb well enough to preserve those terpenes. Go back to the 
guys with the orange and pine-tree weed.

Dear Stoner: What is hemp really good for aside from making clothes 
that only a hippie would wear and sails for boats nobody uses anymore?

Suspicious Mind

Dear Suspicious: You need to open your mind more, man, and we suggest 
a joint to start. Then look into things like the growing interest in 
using hemp stalks as building materials. When mixed with lime, hemp 
can form sturdy, concrete-like building blocks. The downside is that 
their compression strength is about 5 percent of that of concrete, so 
it's mostly used for insulation or walls that aren't load-bearing. 
And no, living in a hempcrete house won't get you stoned.

There's also a real use for food - and not just for Boulder granolas 
shopping at Whole Foods. Livestock can be fed the plants. In fact, a 
butcher in Washington has begun feeding his pigs the leftover stalks 
from medical cannabis gardens - and that's just the waste from a few 
medical weed shops. Think what a few acres could do.

But, really, if you need one use for hemp besides hippie pants, look 
no further: TheHempShop.com offers 100 percent organic hemp lingerie 
- - so you can get your green on while you get your freak on.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom