Pubdate: Thu, 29 Jan 2015
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2015 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

CAN I SUBSTITUTE POT FOR PAIN MEDS?

Dear Stoner: I was just released from the hospital with an aneurysm 
in my groin. They gave me Oxycodone, but it's too strong for me. I 
was wondering if smoking a little pot would relieve me in terms of 
pain and my appetite.

Vegas Jimmy

Dear Jimmy: Pain meds are no joke; they can cause as much discomfort 
as they help mask. I was given Percocet after surgery a few months 
ago and found myself in the same boat: too high from the pills and no 
appetite. Pot helped, though for me it doesn't so much kill the pain 
as it does allow me to ignore it. But that's all pain pills seem to 
do, too - and pot is much more comfortable and manageable. I relied 
on some heavy Kush varieties like Skywalker OG and Bubba Kush to help 
manage the pain without sending my head into the stratosphere. For 
appetite, sativas usually work best for me; mixing in a bowl of Sour 
Diesel or 707 Headband every now and then got me hungry enough to put 
back some of the pounds I'd lost during surgery. But don't ignore 
your pain or suffer needlessly: If the pot doesn't work out, ask your 
doctor to prescribe a pain med that isn't as strong (or addictive) as 
Oxycodone.

Dear Stoner: Who's your pick for the Super Bowl?

Sad Broncos Fan

Dear Fan: Our pick for the Super Bowl is a super-sized bowl of 303 
Kush. Beyond that, I won't be watching the game - but I can tell you 
what you'll see if you do: The nowhere-near-as-good-as-last-year 
Seahawks are going to get heavily outplayed by the Pats (who, for 
some reason, felt they had to cheat their way to the big game). As 
for me, I'll be getting stoned and watching Mikaela Shiffrin take on 
the world's greatest ski racers at the FIS Alpine World Championship 
in Beaver Creek and Vail.

Dear Stoner: We're coming to Colorado for a ski trip to Breck. There 
are four of us, so how much pot can we buy in total? Also, do 
dispensaries sell pipes?

Tourist Tim

Dear Tim: Out-of-staters are limited to a quarter-ounce per purchase 
at a dispensary, though the law protects you up to an ounce. You four 
can walk out of a dispensary with a combined ounce - and you can also 
hit up three more shops and legally have four ounces between you to 
smoke during your short stay. Good luck with that, and remember: You 
can give away what you don't use, so tip your bellman well.

As for pipes, almost all pot shops sell them - but they're often the 
cheap, foreign-made kind. I suggest visiting a head shop instead, one 
like Illuzion Glass in Denver, Heady Glass in Englewood or the famous 
Cowboy in Breckenridge.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom