The Pot Partaker's Lounge

[Alex Kenivel]

 

[Alex Kenivel]

I live in California - it's a booming business out here. I have a few friends in the industry that have secure, stable jobs. Taxes on it are crazy but some places have loophole deals and they're too high to figure it out. Plenty of underground flea markets exist too with better prices.

I had a gig last night at a club next door to a dispensary. Patrons were migrating from one place to the other. You can get bud delivered to your bar stool from an app on your phone, and now after the pandemic people are walking around the streets with drinks and blunts in their hands.

 

[DrewJD82]

I started smoking regularly when I was 15 and have been through pretty much every weed-related mood/issue/experience there is at this point, good and bad.

Pot, like mushrooms, will let me know when I’m not supposed to be partaking, generally in the form of paranoia/anxiety. When I was in my crazy drinking days of my 20’s I was paranoid all the time, I look back at it now as my body telling me “Knock it off, dumbass”. The same way I’ll get anxiety now if I have a lot of stuff I’m falling behind on at work. In that sense, it’s GREAT at ensuring I get my sh*t taken care of because I LOVE smoking and HATE anxiety/paranoia.

We only have medical in Florida and it’s about $300 to get your card, which you need to re-register every 6 months at $275 a pop. Because of that, I’ve still been getting it from friends, especially now that most of them send me a menu to pick from when I place an order.

Such a trip, man. Back when I started smoking you were happy to get a bag that wasn’t 50% stems and seeds. I haven’t seen a seed in years. Around 2000 was when I first started seeing/getting my hands on what everyone called “crippy” back then, it was either “Regs” or “crippy” and just having that option was mind blowing to me. Now that Mexican brick weed doesn’t even exist, the kind where you’d get an ounce and it’d be about 1/8” thick and 4” long because it was smashed down for transport.

I’m cognizant of when I smoke now; still very much a daily smoker, but I know if I have unfinished business to take care of I might not go more than two hits because I don’t want that anxiety creeping in. Honestly, I feel weed makes me more emphatic/sympathetic. There have been times I’ve gotten into issues at work where I’d put my foot down and not budge, then go home and smoke only to find myself thinking “Man, I was being way too hard on that guy….”, so it’s also why I won’t smoke any time I need to be a hard ass, I get WAY too soft.

And still, nothing gets me feeling as creative as a few tokes does. Some nights I get home and smoke with the intention of passing right out, but find myself in my studio 20 minutes later working on music or starting a new song. There’s two things I ‘require’ weed for; recording bass tracks and mixing. Next time I record a bass track I’ll record the pre-high version and the post-high version, but I just realized that I’m WAY too on top of the beat when I don’t smoke and record bass. Once I’ve smoked I’m right where I need to be with it. And when I mix….well, there’s nothing more fun than to create awesome sounds/play with effects with some headphones on when I’m in that element already.

@FAKA! that’s my personal favorite substance of all time. I like to take it every few months to put myself in check/hit my reset switch. While I heavily relied on therapy/meditation during my divorce last year, it was my LSD experiences that did the heavy lifting during that situation and allowed me to feel everything was going to be ok once the dust settled. It’s really a beautiful thing.

 

[the swede]

I started smoking regularly when I was 15 and have been through pretty much every weed-related mood/issue/experience there is at this point, good and bad.

Pot, like mushrooms, will let me know when I’m not supposed to be partaking, generally in the form of paranoia/anxiety. When I was in my crazy drinking days of my 20’s I was paranoid all the time, I look back at it now as my body telling me “Knock it off, dumbass”. The same way I’ll get anxiety now if I have a lot of stuff I’m falling behind on at work. In that sense, it’s GREAT at ensuring I get my sh*t taken care of because I LOVE smoking and HATE anxiety/paranoia.

We only have medical in Florida and it’s about $300 to get your card, which you need to re-register every 6 months at $275 a pop. Because of that, I’ve still been getting it from friends, especially now that most of them send me a menu to pick from when I place an order.

Such a trip, man. Back when I started smoking you were happy to get a bag that wasn’t 50% stems and seeds. I haven’t seen a seed in years. Around 2000 was when I first started seeing/getting my hands on what everyone called “crippy” back then, it was either “Regs” or “crippy” and just having that option was mind blowing to me. Now that Mexican brick weed doesn’t even exist, the kind where you’d get an ounce and it’d be about 1/8” thick and 4” long because it was smashed down for transport.

I’m cognizant of when I smoke now; still very much a daily smoker, but I know if I have unfinished business to take care of I might not go more than two hits because I don’t want that anxiety creeping in. Honestly, I feel weed makes me more emphatic/sympathetic. There have been times I’ve gotten into issues at work where I’d put my foot down and not budge, then go home and smoke only to find myself thinking “Man, I was being way too hard on that guy….”, so it’s also why I won’t smoke any time I need to be a hard ass, I get WAY too soft.

And still, nothing gets me feeling as creative as a few tokes does. Some nights I get home and smoke with the intention of passing right out, but find myself in my studio 20 minutes later working on music or starting a new song. There’s two things I ‘require’ weed for; recording bass tracks and mixing. Next time I record a bass track I’ll record the pre-high version and the post-high version, but I just realized that I’m WAY too on top of the beat when I don’t smoke and record bass. Once I’ve smoked I’m right where I need to be with it. And when I mix….well, there’s nothing more fun than to create awesome sounds/play with effects with some headphones on when I’m in that element already.

@FAKA! that’s my personal favorite substance of all time. I like to take it every few months to put myself in check/hit my reset switch. While I heavily relied on therapy/meditation during my divorce last year, it was my LSD experiences that did the heavy lifting during that situation and allowed me to feel everything was going to be ok once the dust settled. It’s really a beautiful thing.

Sweden has probably always been years and years after America when it comes to cannabis/hash. I still remember those days in the 90's when weed/marijuana... "green"... didn't exist here and was a luxury at most in the bigger cities. Hash was the thing... and damn sometimes we (teenagers) got hold of some really weird (probably bad or even dangerous) hash... you know the kind that's like wet black oil... knocked us out totally... damn we could have been in trouble I shudder when I think of the one time I smoked on some passing pipe. On a party where the people were total hash heads. I just took one or two big breaths and this guy told me "hey kid, take it easy". This was 18:00 and the party hadn't even started. Next thing I know I woke up at home in the middle of the night being hungry. A friend called me, said I just walked out like a zombie and started walking home Lucky me no "volunteer night parents" or police caught me that time.... didn't ever touch the goey black oily stuff after that.

There was also that time at age 15 or 16 and ive had some beers and was probably drunk and decided it was a brilliant idea to smoke hash with someone... nope... not a good idea. That I never ever did again. What a nightmare.

 

[DrewJD82]

Sweden has probably always been years and years after America when it comes to cannabis/hash. I still remember those days in the 90's when weed/marijuana... "green"... didn't exist here and was a luxury at most in the bigger cities. Hash was the thing... and damn sometimes we (teenagers) got hold of some really weird (probably bad or even dangerous) hash... you know the kind that's like wet black oil... knocked us out totally... damn we could have been in trouble I shudder when I think of the one time I smoked on some passing pipe. On a party where the people were total hash heads. I just took one or two big breaths and this guy told me "hey kid, take it easy". This was 18:00 and the party hadn't even started. Next thing I know I woke up at home in the middle of the night being hungry. A friend called me, said I just walked out like a zombie and started walking home Lucky me no "volunteer night parents" or police caught me that time.... didn't ever touch the goey black oily stuff after that.

There was also that time at age 15 or 16 and ive had some beers and was probably drunk and decided it was a brilliant idea to smoke hash with someone... nope... not a good idea. That I never ever did again. What a nightmare.

Yeah, I’ve had some nights, man. But I also used to be the “I don’t care what drug it is, I want it” type. Which, honestly, was the result of being lied to about drugs throughout my childhood. Once I realized they were lying about pot, the first thing that popped into my head was “What else are they lying about?” and I was off to the races.

Most drugs are awesome (see, this is why I’m never having children) but most people are not awesome in regards to consumption/moderation. I had to learn my own lessons with that and there are things I have to avoid these days because I know I can’t trust myself with it (kratom, specifically).

I used to try making hash by soaking stems and leaf in rubbing alcohol until it evaporated and this whole elaborate evaporation/cooking down thing…..and got black sludge. It wasn’t good.

 

[DrewJD82]

Oh, to answer @la szum’s question about types-

I’m a hybrid fan. Sativas can make me paranoid and Indica (indacouch!) knocks me out, hybrids are the goldilox. I LOVE wax and shatter, man, I thought I had smoked so much that it was impossible for me to get laughy/goofy like I used to until I smoked wax for the first time and then shatter….then budder, and moon rocks…and live resins and all the rest of the new stuff they’ve got.

For a brief period I was like, “Ok, I’m too old for this sh*t, there’s so much new stuff out there that I don’t even understand the lingo anymore” but I caught on quick. That’s really the only reason I want to get my medical card is so I can get my hands on wax and shatter.

 

[-BOOGIEMAN-]

I’m an Indica guy myself…the stronger the better lol. I remember back when I lived in LA we always tried to score the chronic “KGB” type (killer green bud) but often settled for the brown Mexican dirt weed as it was obviously the most plentiful. These days I go to the dispensary and get the indica with the highest thc content available. I haven’t tried any of the edibles or the vapes as of yet, I guess I’m kinda old school and prefer blunts and bongs…yeah baby!!! Light it, don’t hide it!!!…

 

[Sleezy E]

 

[la szum]

I’m an Indica guy myself…the stronger the better lol. I remember back when I lived in LA we always tried to score the chronic “KGB” type (killer green bud) but often settled for the brown Mexican dirt weed as it was obviously the most plentiful. These days I go to the dispensary and get the indica with the highest thc content available. I haven’t tried any of the edibles or the vapes as of yet, I guess I’m kinda old school and prefer blunts and bongs…yeah baby!!! Light it, don’t hide it!!!…

Yup. Kushes and OGs for the win!!

Very much a craft herb vibe here. So. Manyh. Varieties.

My only gripe with that is that when I find a strain that I like (a lot!) it is
sometimes it is hard to find it again. Now when I buy an 1/8th to taste test,
and I like it, I go back for the hefty sack.

 

[la szum]

My buddies think I am a snobby cork-sniffer now---and they are not wrong.

I got off doobies and bowls and pipes and bongs and only really ever vape
flower. The taste is just superior, and I am not thrashing my lungs like when
you flame flower in a joint or bowl. I also like how I can control the experience
with temperature. I have a couple of vapes for flower, and then a smaller one
for concentrates (wax, resin. shatter) that is epic. It looks like a ballpoint pen
and doesn't stink like Spicoli!

I still only ever do it at home (or while camping)---same with alcohol. Just not
into any risky behavior on the roads.

 

[la szum]

Michigan cannabis companies change their business models to survive competitive market

Hundreds of brands are competing for attention in Michigan's pot market. At the same time, few cities in have opted into allowing marijuana sales.

www.freep.com

 

[HotRats]

It's illegal here in Italy, unfortunately.

I've smoked ash for a long time basically every night after dinner at home. My dealer was a colleague in my workplace therefore was easy and "safe" and the only risky part of it was bringing the ash home.
I used to buy big chunks few times a year and always hated the risky side of it.

Anyway I've quit smoking tabacco and ash when I've decided to become father for the first time.

I miss smoking and listening to music and the smoking/sex combo.

 

[surffisherman]

Wish this became legal when I was a youngster but I haven't touched that stuff in decades and have no desire anymore .

 

[DrewJD82]

My buddies think I am a snobby cork-sniffer now---and they are not wrong.

I got off doobies and bowls and pipes and bongs and only really ever vape
flower. The taste is just superior, and I am not thrashing my lungs like when
you flame flower in a joint or bowl. I also like how I can control the experience
with temperature. I have a couple of vapes for flower, and then a smaller one
for concentrates (wax, resin. shatter) that is epic. It looks like a ballpoint pen
and doesn't stink like Spicoli!

I still only ever do it at home (or while camping)---same with alcohol. Just not
into any risky behavior on the roads.

Vaping it definitely tastes better.

I don’t even remember who showed me how to do this, but I learned how to make what’s essentially a vape out of a lightbulb back in the 90’s. You pop off that little silver contact point, break away the ceramic and pull all the components out then rinse the bulb out (if it’s a white bulb), grab a soda bottle cap, heat up a screw driver enough to melt through the cap so you can put a straw through it, then screw the cap onto the lightbulb. They fit perfectly! You now have yourself a ghetto vape! That’s when I first learned of really tasting weed instead of burning it with a lighter.

Got pulled over one night and the cop found it searching my bag, “WTF is this? I know you’re only smoking weed out of this, but WTF, man?”

I mainly smoke out of a bubbler these days, unless I have wax or shatter in which I have a couple hefty pens. They’re more like mini-lightsaber size.

 

[KHAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!]

I shan't be partaking at this point. But thanks for the contact high.

Brings back some fuzzy memories.

 

[sleewell]

yeah i am not sure on vapes. who knows whats in those things. i feel like my lungs get more irritated by them so I stopped buying them. There were those cases of popcorn lungs from them so it's not exactly like clean smoking imo. It's just so new and I don't think enough time has passed to really determine if it's safer or not.



Concentrates are the whip though. The store by my house sells mix n match 4 grams for 50. You don't even need the top shelf flower with them and you still get lifted for hours.

 

[DrewJD82]

The prices I’ve read in this thread are crazy.

If I could tell 16 year old me that one day I’d be able to legally purchase an ounce of great weed for $70 I don’t know what I would have done. I honestly didn’t believe it’d be decriminalized at the rate it has been within my lifetime.

 

[la szum]

yeah i am not sure on vapes. who knows whats in those things. i feel like my lungs get more irritated by them so I stopped buying them. There were those cases of popcorn lungs from them so it's not exactly like clean smoking imo. It's just so new and I don't think enough time has passed to really determine if it's safer or not.



Concentrates are the whip though. The store by my house sells mix n match 4 grams for 50. You don't even need the top shelf flower with them and you still get lifted for hours.

You don't trust vapes, but do concentrates?

Concentrates are what is actually in the pre-loaded vape cartridges,
usually in distillate form?

I only vape actual flower, and solvent-less concentrates like hash and rosin.

Shatter and badder and the like ALL involve the use of a solvent like Butane.
I tend to lean the other way and avoid those for the reasons you mentioned.

The piece below is a good breakdown on the different nature of concentrates
and which ones don't use a solvent to extract them from flower, and which ones do.

Complete Guide to Solventless/Non-solvent Cannabis Concentrates

While being a traditional product used for centuries, the evolution of solventless (also called non-olvent) cannabis resin concentrates during the past years has been astounding. From the very first charas ever made to the most modern THC-A separation techniques, this type of extracts have...

www.alchimiaweb.com

 

[la szum]

 

[sleewell]

You don't trust vapes, but do concentrates?

Concentrates are what is actually in the pre-loaded vape cartridges,
usually in distillate form?

I only vape actual flower, and solvent-less concentrates like hash and rosin.

Shatter and badder and the like ALL involve the use of a solvent like Butane.
I tend to lean the other way and avoid those for the reasons you mentioned.

The piece below is a good breakdown on the different nature of concentrates
and which ones don't use a solvent to extract them from flower, and which ones do.

Complete Guide to Solventless/Non-solvent Cannabis Concentrates

While being a traditional product used for centuries, the evolution of solventless (also called non-olvent) cannabis resin concentrates during the past years has been astounding. From the very first charas ever made to the most modern THC-A separation techniques, this type of extracts have...

www.alchimiaweb.com

Man you are probably right, but I'm still skeptical. I don't think you ever really know what's all in those cartridges. Plus the batteries are all made cheaply overseas and we don't really know yet how that aspect affects the process with an unknown cartridge... too many unknowns for me at least right now. I don't think it's only pot related stuff in there, they must add other stuff. I think the companies would put something shitty in there if it benefited them and there really isn't enough regulation or testing to get honest answers that will stand the test of time. Like why did they start to put nicotine in cigs? Only for their benefit right, could have just stuck with a tobacco cig? Humans are greedy bastards.


Like i said I used them in the past and felt my lungs were more irritated than when I stick to bongs, bowls, joints and blunts. Could all be in my head, i could be totally wrong but I just don't trust them yet.