Happy dabbing

Can I grow weed for personal use with equivalent quality and cost (preferably higher quality at lower cost) than what I can get at my local dispensary?

—Gas Giant

Yes, you can. Weed is relatively inexpensive to grow. Prohibition has pumped up the retail price for years, but states that have legal cannabis laws in place have seen a steep drop in prices. Hell, in Oregon, you can buy a gram of mids for like $3. That’s crazy talk.

The thing is: Growing good weed is a commitment. It takes time and attention. We aren’t talking about house plants. Pot needs you to take care of it. You have to look out for bugs just about every day (and believe me, rust mites are hella hard to spot), and you have to keep the dirt full of nutrients and love. Outdoor is easier and cheaper, since you don’t have to pay for lights or fans or nothin’. It also has higher yields, but it takes a full six months until your grass is ready. You can harvest indoors every eight to 10 weeks, but hydroponic growing is even more time intensive, and your harvests will be smaller. Ed Rosenthal has a great book that will teach you how to set up an easy and inexpensive indoor grow titled Marijuana Buds for Less: Grow 8 oz. Of Bud for Less than $100. Read it and thrive. Have fun, and let me know if you need help with the trimming and curing.

Who has the best weed: California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada or Colorado?

—GG

Cali is still the best. But the gap is closing. And to be honest, I haven’t tried more than a joint or two of Nevada’s finest. I really need to do an in-depth exploration of Nevada’s nugs. My rankings: 1. CA, 2. OR, 3. WA and 4. CO, with Nevada as the wild card. I will also say that I have smoked some excellent buds grown in New Mexico. Time for a road trip.

I’m planning a 4/20 celebration. Any legal issues regarding person-to-person marijuana sharing? Probably ice cream, low levels of THC. Would you like some?

—Jess

No static at all. State law allows you to share up to an ounce of cannabis with anyone else, provided that the both of you are at least 21 years of age. You can share joints, blunts, dabs, ice cream, pie, barbecue sauce, what have you. Keep it under an ounce and you will be fine. Please bring me some ice cream. I will bake a pie. Happy 4/20!

Hello from the cannabis dead zone of Pennsylvania. Budder, wax, sugar, shatter. As a potential patient, I want to know which of these you prefer and why? Which require the least special equipment?

—Not Melvin

They are all pretty much the same. The different names derive from appearance, but concentrates are just extracted and compressed THC glands. And you don’t really need special gear to smoke hash. Just throw it on a bowl or spread it on a joint. Happy dabbing!