Pubdate: Thu, 15 Oct 2015
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
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: Herbert Fuego

DEAR STONER: WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT SMOKING WEED?

Dear Stoner: Why are all you potheads so gung-ho about the benefits 
of smoking weed? I smoke it from time to time, but I don't tell my 
friends to light up a joint instead of visiting the doctor. It's pot, 
not magic beans.

Grinding Gary

Dear Gary: Magic buds, maybe. I'll probably never know what you look 
like, but I'm envisioning a pencil mustache and a Broncos T-shirt 
tucked into jorts. As hard is it is for you to realize, there are 
people out there who smoke pot and don't clamor for bongs at every 
dinner table. Most potheads are in disguise, toking in private 
because the uneducated hand out stoner cards as soon as they find out 
someone gets high after work. I could tell you about pot's 
pain-killing, nausea-reducing properties, or note that even the U.S. 
Surgeon General concedes that it can help some medical conditions - 
but that might still be too gung-ho for you.

As off-track as some marijuana activists get, you and I can thank 
them for the freedoms we already take for granted. If they weren't 
constantly fighting for medical patients and recreational users, we 
probably wouldn't be having this conversation. And besides, a little 
over-zealousness and short-man syndrome while advocating for 
something you believe in is to be expected after years of being 
treated as a joke by politicians and the public. Yes, that guy who 
says pot can cure AIDS annoys us, too. But that doesn't mean you can 
call someone Cheech just because he swears by Afghani instead of 
aspirin for his back pain.

Dear Stoner: What kind of costs should I expect if I set up a hydro 
grow in my house? Kim

Dear Kim: The cost of growing your own marijuana can drain your 
wallet and your patience. After shelling out $700-plus on lights, 
clones and other equipment, you can expect to spend around $100 to 
$150 on nutrients for each flowering cycle (that's for three 
flowering plants), depending on your plant count and preferred 
feeding schedule. Your utility bills will inflate, as the 
state-approved limit of six plants can run your water bill up around 
$25 and your electricity bill around $150 - and those costs will be 
higher during the summer because of temperature control. And keep in 
mind that in order to be legal, all of this has to take place in a 
locked, enclosed area. As time goes on and your standards get higher, 
however, the real expenses will be all your time and energy. As one 
seasoned home-grower once told me, "Growing shitty weed is easy; it's 
a weed. Dealing with pests, mold and temperature changes to achieve 
good herb requires diligence that most people don't have."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom