Pubdate: Thu, 24 Sep 2015
Source: Boulder Weekly (CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
Copyright: 2015 Boulder Weekly
Contact:  http://www.boulderweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/57
Author: Herbert Fuego

WHERE CAN I GET CHARAS, AKA FINGER HASH, IN THE U.S.?

Dear Stoner: I am heading to Colorado a week after my 21st birthday. 
I lost my actual ID and only have a paper copy. Will that be enough 
to get me into dispensaries? Alan

Dear Alan: It's time to stop struggling. You're supposed to lose your 
ID after turning 21, not before. Along with oxygen, it's the only 
thing you need on that big day. Friends pay for drinks (or, in this 
state, joints and dabs), drive you around and carry you home. One of 
the only things they can't do is sneak you into a dispensary. You'll 
need a valid, state-issued driver's license to get into a 
recreational pot shop - that, or a valid passport or Native American 
or military ID. But if you're already carrying around a paper copy of 
your driver's license, then it's unlikely that those options apply. 
You'll have a whole week after your birthday before you come here, 
though. Unless you live in the Australian Outback, why not just go to 
the DMV as soon as you turn 21 and get a new ID?

Dear Stoner: These days, everybody has heard of hash, BHO, dabs, etc. 
I'd like to learn more about charas and where it might be obtainable 
within the U.S. Since it hails from Morocco and the like, I imagine 
it's difficult to find anything from its homeland, but are there any 
crafters making their own charas in legal states like Colorado?

Rooboo Dude

Dear Rooboo: Charas - or finger hash, as it's known in America - is 
still beloved by old-school smokers and solvent-haters, but it's 
pretty hard to come by in legal pot shops. Hell, even kief is on the 
endangered list after the explosion of wax, shatter and other 
space-age extractions. For those of you who are unfamiliar: Charas 
originated in the mountains of India after some genius rubbed 
cannabis buds in his palms until all of the resin and oils stuck to 
his hands, creating a ball of primitive hash. The process is still 
replicated today across the globe, and it's a driving force in the 
rural economies of countries like India, Pakistan and Morocco. It's 
easy to break apart, can be rolled into tiny snakes for joints, and 
offers peace of mind for those who don't trust all the processing 
involved in today's concentrates.

The best bet for obtaining charas is to simply grow your own in 
states where it's legal. Trimmers are always rolling together hash 
from their scissors and fingertips after harvesting personal grows, 
getting a ball the size of a strawberry off just two pounds. Growers 
hate trimming, so it's usually easy to trade a couple hours of work 
for some loose buds and finger hash.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom