Pubdate: Thu, 26 Nov 2015
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Column: The 420
Copyright: 2015 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

OLD SCHOOL REVISITED

I have been smoking weed for years and always held my hits in as long 
as possible. I am now thinking that maybe I should smoke weed like a 
cigarette without holding it in long. Has there been any research 
into what's most effective and is less harmful to the lungs?

- -A Reader

Gone are the days when people thought you needed to hold in a hit as 
long as possible to let that good THC swirl around in your lungs. 
Giant coughing jags and teary eyes are so last century. The new way 
is to just take a good hit and let it out normally. You get the same 
high, but with no lung irritation, less coughing and less tar. If you 
would like to invite me over to give you some tips and pointers, let me know.

Being of old school, I always thought the best part of a sativa plant 
was those resin-covered tiny leaves adjoining mature flowers. Modern 
practice is to cut those off and I guess use those for ointments, 
etc. For old-school smokers like me, isn't this the best part? And 
whatever happened to those juicy roaches dripping with resin? 
Nowadays, the "extremely potent new strains" don't seem any better 
than an old "seeds & stems" $10 Mexican baggie of days of yore. Are 
my sensors fried or are we missing something? Thoughts?

- -Ol' Gnarly

What can I say, OG? The world has changed. Growers used to give shake 
(the leaves and tiny trimmed buds) away for free, but now shake is a 
prized commodity because it is so versatile. People use shake for 
ointments, sure, but also to make concentrates and butter and edibles 
and all those pre-rolled joints you find at your favorite dispensary. 
In fact, some growers don't even have to trim their harvests anymore. 
Extraction companies have been known to buy whole trees right off the 
farm. I'm not sure if I agree that the little leaves are the best 
part, though. Nothing beats a big, fat, well-cured bud, IMHO. By the 
way, resinous roaches (say that three times fast) aren't all that 
good for you. I know that "hobo hash" (the resin left in the chamber 
of your pipe, for example) used to be considered a delicacy, but 
really, it's just tar-filled gunk. Don't smoke it. Better to roll a 
fresh joint. As to all the new strains, I kinda feel you on that too. 
Everything is so sweet these days. Sometimes it's like smoking candy. 
Sometimes I pine for the days of a good, earthy strain like Panama 
Red or a chocolatey Thai Stick, but I'm not trying to go back to the 
days of waiting hours for the weed man to come by. What can I say. 
Things change. We no longer smoke hash between two hot knives. Try 
your best to enjoy the future.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom