Weed and summertime

Summertime! What are the best activities for adventurous stoners this glorious time of year?

Woot, woot! The beauty of weed is that it enhances a lot of the things you would do during the summer anyway. Cookout? Perfect time for a fat, lazy blunt and some cannabis-infused garlic butter on your grilled corn. Going for a hike? A nice edible will smooth you right out, and maybe some sort of CBD afterward to help with the aches and pains (most state parks are hella strict about combustibles, especially during fire season, so no joints). State Fair? Get high in the parking lot, because for some reason the fair doesn’t allow on-site cannabis consumption, even though they have smoking sections. But listen: Folks have been smoking weed in the parking lot of the county fair since the invention of parking lots and county fairs, so as long as you are discreet, you should have no problems. Catching a pleasant weed buzz will put you in a perfect mood to judge the table-setting competition and stare at the fancy chickens. Plus: having the munchies makes all that deep-fried food taste even better. A super hot day? Pour a little THC-infused syrup on your sno-cone. You get the gist.

Also: Road trips. We live on the West Coast. Weed is legal from San Diego to Bellingham, Wash. Roll up the coast and hit all the little dispensaries along the way. You could even go to Vancouver and enjoy some legal Canadian weed. Hell, if you have the time and inclination, drive up the Alcan highway and try some of that Alaskan weed. Can you imagine smoking Matanuska Thunderf**k in the birthplace of Matanuska Thunderf**k? Be careful at the international borders because the border patrol is kinda strict these days. But that’s the beauty of it. You no longer have to carry weed with you. You can get it at the store. And a quick reminder: No smoking and driving. Yes, studies show that stoners are pretty good drivers, but cops don’t care. You can get a DUI for driving (or boating) under the influence of cannabis. Be safe.

If you aren’t the type to meander, you can plan to hit any of the various cannabis conferences and festivals all over the country. Some highlights: High Times magazine is throwing Reggae on The River in Humboldt County this year (Aug. 2-4), and the Seattle Hempfest (Aug. 16-18) is always a blast. For more, Freedomleaf.com has a great events calendar.

Weed and summertime go together like weed and summertime. There is no wrong way to do it. Hell, if you just want to sit inside an air-conditioned room and watch summer blockbusters all day, weed can help. Just remember to obey local ordinances, stay hydrated, wear comfortable shoes and apply sunblock liberally.