Pubdate: Thu, 25 Feb 2016
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
Copyright: 2016 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 IS THAI STICK?

Dear Stoner: What is Thai stick? Is it just an old strain of chronic 
from the '70s?

The Berg

Dear Berg: Be ready to take notes if an old-timer ever tells you 
about the time he smoked a Thai stick, because it was probably 
crazier than any blunt you've ever had. Not to be confused with Thai 
or other mind-bending sativa strains that come from Southeast Asia, 
Thai sticks were like an early version of the caviar joints you find 
in dispensaries today. By taking some premium, seedless buds (which 
were virtually unheard of in North America in the '60s and '70s), 
skewering them on stems and tightly wrapping the natural doob with 
fibers from the marijuana plant - and then apparently dipping the 
sticks in opium - the Thai people created one trippy invention.

Like a few other fads from that time, America's love for Thai sticks 
started after U.S. troops in Thailand and Vietnam got a taste of that 
premium herb (and opium, of course) and brought their findings back 
home. Because of the influx of potent flower and concentrates and 
new, more convenient ways to consume pot in the U.S., Thai sticks 
lost their luster sometime in the '80s. Although they're becoming 
endangered with time, you can still find online videos and tutorials 
on how to make your own, but if you're going to dip that stick in 
anything, please use hash oil instead of opium. Nobody wants to 
experience a sequel to The Deer Hunter.

Dear Stoner:Seems like smoke shops have 100 options for joint papers 
nowadays. Got any recommendations, or should I stick with Zig-Zags?

Ivan

Dear Ivan: I feel your frustration. Choosing rolling papers has 
become almost as hard for us potheads as choosing which box of cereal 
to buy during a 10 p.m. run to the grocery store - and no purchase 
under $2 should make us think that hard. One easy tip: Always stay 
away from the gimmick papers - anything flavored, covered in colorful 
art or "invisible." There's no need to glitter up Colorado's premium pot.

It's tough for some people to stray from Tops or Zig-Zag because they 
grew up on those brands - but if you're presented with options at a 
smoke shop or dispensary, always go the unbleached route. There's a 
reason that brands like Element and Raw are sponsoring so many weed 
events: Stoners love them. Made with rice, Element papers are the 
traditional white without bleach; Raw's papers are composed of hemp, 
leaving them an au naturel brown. Unless you're at a gas station and 
desperate, pay the extra 75 cents for papers that are pure.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom