Dear Sarah,
My friend claims he just got a DUI for marijuana, even though he is a medical patient. How is that possible? Can anyone objectively tell “how high” someone is just by looking at them? Does that mean I’m not allowed to use my medicine if I need to drive somewhere?
~Commuting in Colorado Springs
Dear Commuting,
Oh my—what many questions you ask. Let’s take these one at a time. First, as far as medicine and driving go, there is a very good reason for all those “DO NOT DRIVE OR OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY” labels (thus, the large, bold type and “WARNING WARNING.”) All drugs have side effects, and many substances used for legitimate medical purposes impair a person’s abilities and reflexes. Whether were talking about cannabis or Percocet, common sense tells us we put every other driver on the road in danger when we ignore those bold-print warnings.
Regarding the first question, laws vary from state to state. Here in Colorado, our lawmakers attempted to address the issue recently by drafting a law that would establish a legal level of 8 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood for driving. While the law was being debated, a local journalist/legal medical marijuana patient took an investigatory blood test. He tested at 13 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood, completely sober! This was a good idea in principle, but the legislature wisely went back to the drawing board so the issue could be better studied.
I will also concede that this is a very murky topic when it comes to cannabis because THC lingers in the body’s fat deposits for weeks after use.
Dear Sarah,
Is it true that marijuana causes “munchies?” It seems to happen to me every once in a while, but I could just be hungry, too. Is this just a stoner stereotype, or is there actually something in marijuana that makes you want to devour everything in sight?
~Munchin’ in Mesa
Dear Munchin’
Ah, yes. I nostalgically recall those care-free summer afternoons as a young lady deliquesced into my couch with a bag of Fritos and some homemade salsa. I can concur that based on personally conducted research, there appears to be an anecdotal link between cannabis consumption and the snack cabinet.
Glen Aquino of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine has apparently pondered this subject too. He published an excellent peer-reviewed study entitled Medical Marijuana: A Legitimate Appetite Stimulant? His research came upon some amazing (albeit theoretical) conclusions. When cannabis is consumed, changes take place in the way the endocannabinoid system naturally interacts with the brain, including the parts of the brain that tell us when and when not to eat.
The leptin pathway is the main signal to communicate the body’s nutritional state to the brain, and endocannabinoids play an integral role in this process. Anandamide has been found to increase food intake, while rimonabant has been found to suppress food intake. Marijuana doesn’t actually put more of these substances in the body; it causes the body’s own internal systems to act differently than they normally would. Aquino theorizes that by learning how to manipulate specific effects on the brain, cannabis could not only be used as an effective appetite stimulant, but it could also unlock a cure to the nation’s most prevalent health care problem: obesity.
DOESN’T THIS STUFF JUST GROW ON TREES?
An installment from our basic backyard gardening series
Summer is upon us, my (second to harvest) favorite time of year. The nights are getting warmer, the days are getting longer and the babies are getting bigger! You should now have bright green bushes at least the height of your knee. If your babies are not lush and visibly growing by now, you need to make some changes. Your soil should be loose, soft and slightly moist. Consider transplanting to a high-grade store-bought medium like coco planting mix if your soil is rough and dense. Weak and discolored plants will get a quick boost from a professional nutrient solution and proper pH adjustment. Talk to your local hydroponics store for personalized advice. (Remember the secret code: Fast growing “tomatoes.”)
The long summer days will keep your plants in the vegetative cycle until August, when the shorter days cause the plants to bloom and produce buds. Each growth node that protrudes from the space between the stem and the fan leaf will become a harvestable bud. Plants can get very tall very quickly. Gently bend the plants over and tie them down so that the top growth nodes are at least horizontal with the lower sections of the plants. This will create plants that are low, bushy and discrete. A healthy sativa planted in early summer will stretch high above a 6-foot fence if let grown untended.
One of my favorite tricks to induce an early harvest is called force flowering. Use a 32-gallon trash can to cover your babies and create a 12-hour day/12-hour night cycle during the long summer days. It takes some dedication to cover and uncover the plants every morning and every evening, but the reward is well worth the work when you harvest big, fat, resin-dripping buds in July!
Beyond the latest store-bought fertilizers, be sure to give your girls plenty of good vibes. The debate is still out whether or not playing music actually helps, but a little love and attention definitely goes a long way. Some of my favorite leisure activities in the garden include (but are not limited to) yoga, meditation, reading and chanting mantras.
Keep an eye out all summer for tips on flowering your gorgeous young ladies!
Got a burning question about love, life and/or the pursuit of medicine? Ask Sarah Diesel, medical-marijuana advocate and Countess of Class and Cannabis. Just keep your questions short, straightforward and obscenity-free, and email them to AskSarah@freeculturemag.com.
