What’s the best kind of marijuana: bud, hash, kief or dabs?

Hey there, Ngaio. I’m a huge fan of your work. Keep it up. What do you think is better for smoking in general: bud, hash, kief or dabs? Thanks for taking time out of your day for reading my question.

—Edgar

Thank you for taking time out of your day to ask me a question. I like bud the most. Kief, hash and dabs are all pretty much the same. Kief is what you get when you collect the trichomes (all those little crystals on the bud, they are full of THC) from the pot plant. Compress that kief until the crystals pop and form a glob, and you have hash. Use some sort of solvent, like butane or carbon dioxide, to blast and freeze those crystals, and you get hash oil, also called “dabs.”

Don’t forget: Making butane hash oil is against the law in California. Possession is legal, though. Go figure.

While concentrated cannabis products (hash) are delicious, I really enjoy smoking the whole plant.

A friend of mine, who happens to be a grower, told me that people do not need to annually renew their medical-marijuana scripts anymore. According to him, there has been some kind of precedent in a previous courtroom situation, and as a result of that, we do not have to get our annual renewals. The original script that we obtained from our doctor is now a legally sufficient document to obtain medical-marijuana products. I have done some online research pertaining to the situation and have been unable to come up with any information. Since you are the Sactown 420 guru, perhaps you have information to share with your faithful followers?

—Raven

Technically, your friend is correct. I called my homie, James Anthony, to get his opinion. He’s a lawyer. A weed lawyer.

Here’s the gist: Proposition 215 is very broadly written. According to 215, you don’t even need a written letter from your doctor. Medical-cannabis recommendations can be written or given orally. (“As long as your doctor gives good oral, you are golden,” Anthony said.)

And, if the doctor didn’t actually put an expiration date on your letter, you are technically good to go forever. However, Prop. 215 doesn’t actually legalize weed: It just allows you to use what is known as an “affirmative defense” in court. So, if your letter is years old, some prosecutor may try to claim that perhaps your medical condition has improved, and you don’t need to use cannabis anymore. Also, cannabis clubs are allowed to decide their own terms for admittance, so if they say your letter has to be renewed every year, and you want to visit that club, you should probably get your letter renewed every year. Besides, pot doctors need the money, and a letter of recommendation is cheap. It’s probably better to keep your recommendation current so as to avoid any unpleasantness. Namaste.