What’s in a name?

I’m a middle-aged professional woman who started using cannabis a couple of years ago due to illness. I don’t get the crazy names for the medication. Chernobyl? Romulan Grapefruit? Sour Diesel? Are the names referring to the type of high you’ll experience? Why don’t they refer to the healing effect? “Sleep Well”? “Pain Be Gone”? “Stress Relief”?

—Nancy

I am glad that cannabis is working for you. As to the names of pot strains: whee! It can be a little confusing. Most names refer either to flavor, effect or geographic origin. Blueberry, Lemon Skunk, Diesel are all flavor names. Trainwreck, 9 Pound Hammer, Headband, Chernobyl: effects. Mendo Purps, Durban Poison, Acapulco Gold: geography. Sometimes names get combined. NYC Diesel is location and flavor. Alaskan Thunderfuck is location and effect. Strawberry Cough is flavor and effect. I could go on.

I like your idea of naming strains for the healing effects, but I’m not sure “Hella Sleepy” or “Mood Leavener” would be popular strains, although a strain called “Good Sexytimes” would probably be a smash hit. No one goes to the drugstore and asks for a medicine called “Makes You Poop,” they ask for a laxative. And laxatives all have gentle names like Natural Moves or Miralax. If you want to know more about the effects of different strains, or just want to giggle at the ridiculous names that growers come up with, check out www.leafly.com.

Do you know of any local politicians who are open to a Colorado-esque take on pot, or any that at least seem affable toward the idea or something similar? The tax dollars coming in from their “experiment” seem too good to simply ignore, and I’d like to know what or who I need to vote for in order for California to get in on the action.

—R.W.

Hmm. I know Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has made some good points regarding the “war on some drugs” during his speech at the Democratic Party Convention in March: “How long before we realize drug addiction isn’t a crime, it’s a disease. There never was, and dare I say, never will be a society free of drugs, as much as we’d like there to be. So it’s time for all of us to step up and step in and lead once again in California.”

He also said we should talk about taxing and regulating marijuana. California lawmakers Tom Ammiano and Mark Leno have been on the marijuana-law-reform bus for a while. And that’s about it. The entire Sacramento County Board of Supervisors hates marijuana. Sen. Dianne Feinstein really hates marijuana. We clearly need more pro-pot politicians in the buildings of power. Vote.