Marijuana Mondays: Ep. 3: Water Bong Reality

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we continue with the third episode of Marijuana Mondays. If you don't know what I am talking about it, read this: Marijuana Mondays. I've got a good question regarding the reality of how useful water is as a filter in bongs and we continue with Tips on Tinctures. Email me your questions, issues, or concerns at anthonytaurus(at)hotmail.com.

See the last episode: Marijuana Mondays: Ep. 2: Seeds & Grow Times

Marijuana Mumblings

$88,000 tax bill follows marijuana arrest
Get ready for the hypocrisy that is our government. It would seem in North Carolina it's alright to make money from crime. That's right folks! You can grow marijuana or even traffic in cocaine, as long as you pay taxes on that drug. Huh!? Well, this article is about Darwin Bisping, medical marijuana user/grower in North Carolina. After being arrested and fined, the Department of Revenue followed up with 88,000 bill for taxes he was supposed to pay on his "illegal" drug.

It's called the tax stamp act and almost every state happily obliges. I find it interesting that state governments can find a way to make money on something that is not supposed to be here. It's like saying, "Hey! Tell us you've got illegal narcotics. Tell us how much of it you have. Then, pay a tax on it. We'll look the other way. But, you can still get arrested for it. And as far as us making money off of you, we didn't see anything so we're not accomplices to the crime!"

Former detective: Legalize pot
I chose this particular story to give some time to Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP. This is an organization of former law enforcement - police officers, FBI agents, DEA, lawyers, judges - that want drugs legalized. Incredible, I know!

They understand three things. First, the war on drugs is NOT working. Second, marijuana shouldn't be a criminal issue because it's a health issue. And third, prohibition keeps drugs in the hands of criminals and out of the control of government regulation. This is specifically why alcohol prohibition ended in 1933. The government knew it was better off regulating alcohol because people were going to manufacture it, people were going to drink it, and you can't arrest everyone who does it. Think about it. We've already got 12 or 13 states with medical marijuana laws and most other states have decriminalized it.

And, let's not forget my favorite US Rep. Barney Frank who introduced HR5843 in Congress. Support it.

Questions & Answers

Do bongs really filter out the harmful stuff in marijuana?
The water in bongs does act as a filter, a very low quality filter. It filters EVERYTHING including the THC which is what you want to get in your system. The prevailing thought is that it only filters out the harmful stuff. That is not true. Remember, smoke is a gas. It's particles and molecules as air. The idea is that as you pull the marijuana smoke through the water, the heavier stuff will fall down as well as hydrate the smoke so it's easier on your lungs.

The problem is that it only passes through the water for a split second. On top of that, it passes as a bubble - a sphere of air inoculated by the pressure it exerts on the water around it. In other words, that bubble of air is going to protect most of whatever is within the bubble. It's not some complex honeycomb of supertiny holes like a HEPAfilter. In fact, if water was a decent filter, we'd be using it more often as a filter.

If you're seriously worried about harmful chemicals in marijuana smoke use a vaporizer.

Marijuana Tip of the Week

Tinctures: Part 2: Edible/Drinkable Marijuana
First we'll need a bit of a science lesson. Today's word is decarboxylation. If you can't say it, don't worry about it. It's better that you understand it. In marijuana, there is no THC. Huh!? Well, it's actually THCA or THC acid. It process well in the body. However, when applying heat to the THCA, it decarboxylizes into THC which is what the body can process. This is why we eating marijuana straight is not popular. Oooooh! Now, I know why! And, if you didn't catch it, this is why we can eat marijuana when it's cooked or baked. But there's another way decarboxylation occurs - time, a lot of time. So, on to the tip.

Remember that tincture we made last week. There are two ways to make that edible - time and heat. The easiest way is to simply let the solution sit in a dark place for the next 30+ days. The fastest way is to apply heat. But, we'll apply the heat as a pre-step. Bake your marijuana for about 5 minutes at 325 degrees in the oven. Or, you can microwave it for 2 minutes. This will help decarboxylize before you create the actual tincture. On top of that, you'll have a faster tincture to use for drinking.
Warning: Heating marijuana will stink up your home! Remember this is what we're trying to get away from when we decide to make a tincture.

Reduction: You can reduce the tincture by allowing the alcohol to evaporate. This will increase the potency of the tincture. Pour the tincture into a bowl. The more surface area, the better it will evaporate. The more potent it will become.
Warning: Becareful how much of the tincture you use. One ounce of alcohol per one gram of marijuana yields about 30 doses of tincture. It depends on the person and the tolerance level.

Squirt a dose in your Kool Aid and wait about one hour. It takes time to act, about an hour, as it goes through your stomach. I can probably handle about 60 doses by myself.