Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pot

Relaxing alternatives to marijuana use

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:03:53 -0800

How can I unwind in the evening if I give up pot? And no, alcohol is not an option. I'd like advice for sober ways to unwind, as well as tips for making the transition. I'm an intense, hard-working person who often puts in 12 hour days at work, runs and lift weights, volunteers and has a robust social life, and most of it does not involve pot. I've also smoked weed in the evening probably 5 or 6 nights a week for the past decade.

It doesn't take much. I go through an eighth of an ounce every month or two. I also go without a few weeks a year while traveling, and have quit for months at a time during job searches. But when I have it on hand and I'm having a tough day, it's better than anything else. When I'm having a normal day, it's still pretty nice.

I'd like to stop smoking except when offered by others (a rare event in my life), and I don't want to replace this drug with something else. But I have a constantly-whirring brain that sometimes goes off the anxiety rails, and I'm worried about controlling my worry. I know that pot increases anxiety in some people, but before I started smoking I was WAY more stressed than I am now. Nights when I don't smoke, I often wake up in the morning with a sore jaw from grinding my teeth in my sleep, which is something I've been doing since I was three years old.

Can anyone suggest new, intoxicant-free rituals that might help satisfy the role that marijuana has played in my life? I'm already exercising regularly after work, which helps me relieve tension, but it doesn't shut off the brain churn. I'm thinking meditation might be a good thing to try. What else? I don't want to take on activities that will make me MORE productive. I think I'm inclined to be too productive as it is, which is what leaves me seeking shortcuts to relaxation.

I'd also appreciate tips for sticking with this plan. Pot has become an important part of my life, and I know that it will be psychologically hard to give up. Will I still be able to smoke once every month or two when I get together with my brother or visit my pothead friend? Or should I worry about "falling off the wagon"? Can you share your experiences with giving up or cutting back on pot?

(Nod to this thread.)

Turkish Coffee: Where's the Foam?

k. — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:08:52 -0800

I tried to make Turkish coffee, but it doesn't foam up like it's supposed to. What am I doing wrong? This is my understanding of how to make Turkish coffee: grind coffee to a really fine powder, put it in a pot with water, and don't stir (so the coffee stays at the top and forms a layer over the surface of the water). Heat until the surface foams up, then remove the pot from heat. Put it back on the stove and do the same thing two more times, then pour it into cups.

When I try to do this, the coffee doesn't foam very much the first time, and it hardly foams at all after that; it just boils. I tried using more coffee than I was supposed to, but that didn't help much. I'm using a small saucepan, since I don't have a real Turkish coffee pot (cezve/ibrik/briki)--I wonder if the problem is that, unlike a cezve, a saucepan has a wide surface area at the top, which thins out the coffee layer. Still, some recipes say it's fine to make Turkish coffee with just a regular pot. Any ideas of what the problem might be?

The dude who said too much.

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:19:50 -0800

Told my doctor I smoked pot, now I just got a disconcerting letter from my insurance company. First of all I live in Ohio, in case that matters. I experienced a heart arrhythmia a few months back and went to the ER for it. When meeting with a cardiologist about it afterwards we went through a number of lifestyle questions one of which was do you do any drugs. I answered honestly that yes I do smoke pot once or twice a week.

I asked if this could be a cause of the problem and he said that was highly unlikely and as long as I used in moderation that shouldn't pose any specific problem with my heart.

Now I just got a letter from my insurance company saying before they could process my claims for the incident they need more information.

It says - Diagnosis: History of Cannabis Abuse
and asks for first date of symptoms, treatment and my drivers license number. Where I've sought treatment, when I started, when I quit and how often I used.

I am pretty much shocked, I assumed my statement to the doctor was going to be safe and confidential.

So yeah, anyone else experience this? Am I screwed? Will I get my license revoked? How do I respond to date stopped when I used just a few days ago. Are the insurance folks permitted to share this info with the police? Is this just an attempt to scare me out of filing the potentially expensive claim with them?

Any info or advice would be much appreciated.

I know I'm lucky my house didn't burn down, but do I really need to buy new cookware?

Meg_Murry — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:54:22 -0800

Can I safely use a burnt Revere Ware copper-bottomed saucepan? I have an old Revere Ware copper-bottomed saucepan, maybe 30 years old. I was heating some water on the gas stovetop and got distracted--called away to another room, stupidly left the pot boiling for a good hour or so. By the time I returned, all the water had boiled away, the inside of the pot was swirled with white powdery marks, and the bottom had a thin layer of black burnt stuff flaking off. Under the black layer, which I can scrub off pretty easily, there's still copper.

I'd rather throw away the pot than risk having the bottom fall off while cooking or some other disaster, but I don't want to throw away a still-usable pot. Is it safe to use?

Find a painting by subject matter?

Wild_Eep — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:28:24 -0800

Help to find a print of a painting for my MIL. Difficulty:only have a description of the subject matter, not the title nor artist. Dark Maroon background, subject matter is a pot of flowers (possibly poppies, possibly peonies) that "lean over onto the empty space of the canvas". This is a classic painting that is likely to have been made into prints.

My MIL thinks she saw this painting and wants to find a print but doesn't remember the artist or the title.

Can I just pretend to not know?

Anonymous — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:13:34 -0800

Currently renting a place with a friend. Want to buy a place, and keep living with the same roommate. However, he uses and, apparently, grows pot. Been living with the guy for a year, and he's a great roommate, a good friend, and we decided we want to keep living together. I decided I'm going to buy a place instead of renting and he agreed to keep being my roommate. Great!

I know that he smokes pot (never inside the house), and has baked brownies on a few occasions (also, never seen a whole batch in the house or anything). A week ago he showed me that he GREW A MARIJUANA PLANT inside his computer case in his room. He brought back seeds from his trip to Amsterdam, and the whole set-up is pretty brilliant, actually, I was very impressed. He's got air filters to get rid of the smell, I've been in his room while the thing was growing and there was no smell or anything, there was no way of knowing that that was going on in his room. Even when he was drying it/curing it/cooking it or whatever the other day (since he's not hiding it from me anymore, he told me when he was doing it) there was no smell.

I don't get high, and don't really care if he does - I know he doesn't do it often, he's responsible with bills and rent. However, I'm not sure how I feel if this will be going on in a house I *own*. I personally have nothing against it, I think it should be legal, but of course there is some hesitation if this will be in *my* house. I know that really, there is no way anyone would ever find out (I was living with him and have been in his room before and I was clueless until he told me!), and I know a ton of people who have pot at home and no one's ever gotten in trouble.

So I guess my question is: How bad is it to keep pretending I know nothing about this and rent out a room to him - Is it a relatively safe risk? Please share stories of how people have gotten caught, because at this moment, I don't see how that's a possibility at all. I mean, if no one can smell it from anywhere, then there is no way anyone will ever come into the house and into his room looking through it for pot, correct? My reasoning is, also, that I could've been clueless about this for another year until he told me and then I wouldn't even have this question, so can I just pretend to keep not knowing?

We are in NJ, if it makes a difference.
throwawaymetafilter@gmail.com

unlike the former president, my son inhaled

headnsouth — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:02:27 -0800

Help me respond appropriately to my teenage son's marijuana use. My son is 15, a long-haired, skateboarding, guitar-playing punk who has begun smoking pot. I caught him red-eyed today, but I have been suspicious on another occasion, and I'm guessing he's done it maybe a half-dozen times. He is, of course, a good kid, has been earning As and Bs this year for the first time ever, loves kids & animals, serves lunch at a local shelter, mows the neighbor's lawn, etc. He is also lazy and stubborn, and sometimes disrespectful. He's typical. I worry about him because ... well, because of the usual reasons, I guess. I'm his mom.

I read this thread, which has some good advice in it, but because my son is not in trouble, or rebelling, or slipping in school, and I'm not concerned about pot per se the way the OP in the other thread was, I'm seeking additional responses. My feelings about pot are that it ought to be legal, but it isn't. I have talked to my boys (my other son is 13) about both safety concerns and legal concerns. They know I've done it, they know my opinions about its legal status, and they also know the consequences are more punitive now, and that it's stronger and more anonymous (therefore risky) than it was back in the day. (They do not know that I still occasionally --- like once a year occasionally --- get high. I don't think it has any bearing on the situation, but I'm putting that out here for full disclosure.)

I've addressed it with them the same way I've addressed sex with them --- I don't want you to do this at all unless and until you're old enough to understand and face the consequences, but if you're going to do it, you have to protect yourself.

Bringing these boys up has been easy up to now. All previous issues have been pretty much black-and-white. Yes you can do that, no you can't do this. Here's why. OK mom. I think whatever success I've had raising them so far can be attributed to my being consistent with regard to rules and punishment/reward. I'm ambivalent about this one, because acknowledging that they might/will smoke pot comes very close to approving it.

I busted him under these circumstances: he was hanging out with friends at a local skatepark after school, and when I left work & the grocery store I told him I'd stop by there on my way home to give him a drink. So I did, and when he leaned in to the car to talk for a minute before I went home, I saw the telltale look. I had him sit in the car with me and we talked a little bit. He admitted to it, but the discussion was actually more about his denial and talking back to me than about the pot itself. He was stoned though, so it would have been pointless to discuss it in depth then. I found myself surprisingly unprepared as well. So we tabled it and I will bring it up later this weekend.

I don't want him to smoke pot. He's going to smoke pot. To forbid him to smoke pot is inviting secrecy and lies. To allow him to smoke pot is endorsing dangerous, illegal activity.

My brother, whose opinions about pot are similar to mine, thinks I'm making a mistake by not setting down firm unbendable rules about this. His oldest child is 9. My brother also thinks I'm being alarmist about the legal consequences and the quality/purity/strength/questionable sources of whatever my son might be smoking.

So. What advice do you have for a mother who needs to talk with her teenage son about smoking pot? He is looking for his first summer job, he's practicing driving (although he won't get his license for at least a year if not later), and we're coming up on a summer where he's not in school but I'm at work.

If I bury this pot seed will it grow?

It ain't over yet — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:02:42 -0800

So every now and then a few seeds show up in the shake. Are these real, growable marijuana seeds? If I planted one, and gave it all the TLC yer supposta, would it grow? Or do you need to get your hands on some sort of special seed stock if you hope to raise a plant?

Obtaining Marijuana in Michigan

Drasher — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:53:25 -0800

In November of 2008 the voters of Michigan passed Proposal 1, a bill that "legalizes the use of medical marijuana by patients with 'debilitating medical conditions' when approved by a physician" but the rules are unclear. [WSJ article] As noted in this article, qualifying patients can register with the state and receive ID cards allowing them to legally acquire, possess, grow, transport and use a limited amount - no more than 2.5 ounces and 12 plants - of marijuana.

Assuming that one obtains an ID card from the state to legally possess the drug, how does one procure the drug?
California residents that have prescriptions for marijuana can get them filled at a number of dispensaries. This will not be the case in Michigan.

Is it easy enough to grow the allowed 12 plants in a protected environment? Will a basement grow "farm" be easy enough to maintain for personal use? Or will patients who use the marijuana be forced to obtain their drug illegally? In which case, how does a 50-somehting year old "cruise a college campus looking for dope"?

Intervention!

youngergirl44 — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:42:18 -0800

I live in Chicago and need to help a friend get into a drug rehab program. I have no idea where to start. Please help! First, he wants to go, but doesn't have the presence of mind to do it all on his own. I've never known anyone who has done this before, so I feel overwhelmed.

How do you select a place? He's about 50 years old, gay, HIV positive and severly depressed. Do these factors need to be considered when picking a place? Does it matter what drugs he's on? Are certain places better for some addictions than others? If it matters, he's using coke, crystal meth, crack, and pot (that I know of).

How does he tell his employer? He applied for short term disability or the family medical leave because of a recent MRSA infection, but I don't think he's been approved yet. Will going into rehab mean he's going to lose his job?

What sort of information do I need about/from his insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield)? I have other friends that work for the same employer and have the same coverage, so if the friend can't get the information, I'm sure someone else can.

Do I ask for his family's help? He's fairly close to his family (brothers, cousins, but no children, spouse or SO), but has fallen away in the recent months due to his addictions. I don't know how much they know about what he's been doing.

I know he's practicing reckless sexual behavior. Is this something that a rehab program can help address?

Also, he went through the 12-step AA program 10+ years ago and never wants to go back to a 12-step program. Do non-12-step rehab facilities exist? Should I ignore is dislike for the 12-step program (he thinks of AA as a cult) just to get him help?

I feel like this is really scattered, but I don't know how else to put it. I saw him last night and he was so tweaked out that I came to the realization that he is going to die from this. I just want to cry......

Why did this weed make me sick?

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:20:20 -0800

A tale of woe: I was walking in the woods and came upon a solitary cultivated plant which appeared to be marijuana by the shape of it's leaves. For reasons I can't explain (I've never enjoyed being stoned anyway), I picked one of the largely desicated 'buds' smoked it and within minutes felt horribly, horribly nauseated. What happened to me? After lying on the floor incapacitated for a long time I managed to crawl to bed and sleep it off. I can't say whether I felt stoned, although the nausea was so bad it was almost hallucinatory. After 24 hours I still feel a little off but am basically fine.

Theories:

1) it wasn't actually pot but someone's 'hemp' experiment or perhaps some other plant entirely...
2) it was somehow adulterated i.e. I was poisoned...
3) I just don't know how to prepare marijuana for smoking, wrong part of plant, not dry enough, wrong time of year, etc.

Yes I know this was a stupid thing to do.

Mom N' Pot Business

redsparkler — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:11:40 -0800

Please direct me towards some respectable, wholesome looking websites about medical marijuana usage, especially if they're intended for older folks and/or the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. My mother is in her sixties, and suffers from terrible chronic arthritis pain. I'm convinced that medical marijuana would be a terrific option for her, and at the the very least, much better than the cocktail of various medications that she currently takes. The most recent time we discussed it, she seemed a lot more open to it, especially when I brought up the possibility of tinctures, which a friend of mine uses. The next obvious step is to give her a couple of websites to look at, right?

Fun Facts!
1.) She's super sweet, religious, bakes cookies, and only recently started regularly imbibing alcohol (boxed sangria, at that.).
2.) She's mildly competent at the internet, but probably won't want to read pages and pages of text, like New Yorker articles or the Mother Jones article I found called "Respectable Reefer".
3.) I'm pretty sure she's never smoked pot before, and I haven't, either, so there's no first hand experiential data from either of us, as far as the effects of it go.

Also welcome are anecdotes or cautionary tales about older parents, chronic pain, and medical marijuana usage.

54 year-old pot head

wafaa — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:07:15 -0800

Medical Marijuana? Anybody? I have fibromyalgia. Marijuana helps. I have searched but don't get any first-person results. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Should I be worried?

hadjiboy — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:15:41 -0800

I've recently started doing weed. The effect that it has had on me is quite noticeable--I feel much more relaxed and confident--like the real me should feel. I have no inhibitions of telling people what I think, which in any other circumstance I would be too ashamed to (thinking that I might not be worthy of having such opinions). But now, I hardly give a damn what anybody else feels. Just one question though: am I okay for thinking that Marijuana might actually not be harmful to me in the extremely small dose that I take it in? The first time that I had it--it was spiked, and we did it in a closed room so by the end of it I was dazed and confused to say the least. Thought everyone in the room had planned all of it from the beginning (even before they had met me) and were now carrying out their wicked schemes. However, I was still able to regain control and didn't do anything untoward, except smoke a lot and then go to sleep after an hour or two.

The second time I had some good stuff and made sure not to have too much. Since then (I've done it maybe five-six times; the first time was on Aug 1st), I've realized that I'm in a much better mood after taking just one good drag--that's it. The feeling stays with me for the whole day, and sometimes into the next.

I don't want to be addicted to the stuff, but it has improved my social behaviour manifold. I feel totally at peace with myself and am for the first time ever comfortable with the way I look. I actually think I don't look that bad to tell you the truth.

I guess what my question is, is that, do you think hemp can have a positive effect on your life. I have a friend whose father is a nationally celebrated artist and he's been a user for a long, long time now. I'm not looking for scorn or judgemental attitudes here, so I would appreciate it if you could keep it to yourself. What I would like is anecdotes about how it started for you, if you're still using (I know some of you might not want to share this info publicly, so feel free to Memail me if you think it's worth it), or if you've stopped, and why--and what was it about it that you thought was good/bad...?

Cannabisfilter

freddymetz — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:37:30 -0800

Cannabisfilter (haha) How would cannabis affect my Nerves and is it even a neurotoxin? How dangerous is it really? The internet gives me very split opinions on it.. Im not talking about withdrawal effects, but mainly what it does to your body while its being smoked.

Yes Stephen Colbert, I smoke pot. Why are the cops suddenly rushing the stage?

theichibun — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:30:02 -0800

Shouldn't admitting/publicly announcing that you smoke pot or do other drugs at least be enough for a search warrant in the US? First off, I know there are differing opinions on if pot should be legal in the US. I'm asking about the world as it is, not the world as it should be. So with that in mind, let's try to keep comments about how it should be legal anyway out of this.

I was reading the latest issue of Time, which has an interview with Seth Rogen on page 4( that 10 questions mailed in by readers deal). First question is if he's a stoner in real life. Rogen says that he smokes pot.

Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't a bit dumb to admit that you're breaking the law? And couldn't law enforcement use this admission against him and at least get a search warrant, if not take things farther?

Two other things I'll mention before I let you have a crack at it.

1 - I know that there are people more deserving of law enforcement's attention than drug offenders who are users and not sellers. I'm wondering if it can happen, not if it should happen.

2 - I know Seth Rogen is Canadian, and that laws and procedure there are different. I mention him because of the article.

Copper pot maintenance and repair

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:57:01 -0800

How do I know if a tin-lined copper pot really needs re-tinning? Are there reliable re-tinning services in or around Seattle? The copper pot I have has some light circular scuff marks and very light (visible by tilting the pot at an angle) scratches at the bottom of the pot, but there's a 5mm dark spot around the inside edge near the bottom.

I generally use it to make custard bases and wine-based sauces, nothing too acidic. I use wooden and non-stick stirrers so I'm honestly a bit surprised at the damage — is the tin lining really this fragile?

Ultimately, I'd like to avoid copper poisoning when using this pot, but from what I have read about the marks I see, it seems inconclusive whether re-tinning is needed. Will re-tinning be necessary, and, if so, is there a competent, non-sloppy re-tinner in or around the Seattle metro area?

This is a bad idea, right?

furiousxgeorge — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:59:36 -0800

What are the health risks of moldy pot? Would such a substance be safe to smoke?

Shall I Roll?

Anonymous — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:03:34 -0800

Is it safe to roll a joint with paper that isn't intended for rolling, such as a receipt or just regular printer paper? Are there any health concerns I should be aware of?

In need of rhubarb cooking advice

peacheater — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:06:17 -0800

How do I best cook rhubarb for a sauce? I'm new to rhubarb and have become quite infatuated with its wonderful sourness. I bought it on a whim when I saw the beautiful stalks at the grocery store. I cooked it by adding a pint of strawberries to about a lb and a half of rhubarb and 1 1/2 cups of water and simmering for about an hour. I then sweetened it and served over vanilla ice cream. Mmmm! That was good! The problem: the pot got a horrible black crust all over the inside bottom. This was a non-stick pot and it was very tough to clean it without removing the non-stick coating as well. I tried again with a copper-bottomed steel pot and had the same result. What am I doing wrong? Also would welcome any rhubarb recipes you have to share.

My brother's story in 60 secs.

bkeene12 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:38:39 -0800

I just saw one of those anti-drug commercials where the kid sews himself up in a big pot pod then pops out an old man. Where can I find this? It was on MTV around 12:15 PM EST on March 30th.

Help me keep my new job!

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:18:20 -0800

How would it look to come in with a fresh haircut two days after it's announced that everyone will be given a hair follicle drug test? I really need a haircut, and no, it certainly wouldn't hurt my chances of covering up some holiday indulging. I just worry that it would look odd. I'm not a heavy smoker by any stretch of the imagination, so I'm not terribly concerned, but a haircut would help me sleep better (not to mention look and feel better, I am way overdue)

Gaming the spit test

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:25:12 -0800

How do I pass an oral (saliva) drug test? Being a stoner and a moron, I assumed the company I was interviewing with would use urine testing. I've passed piss tests I should have failed before with ease with the gallons of water + vitamin B method.

However, I have an oral swab test scheduled for 10:30 tomorrow. The last time I smoked pot was about 30 hours before the appointment. The longest time range I've heard for saliva testing was drug use in the past 48 hours, but I've also read 12-24 hours.

Is there anything I can do to interfere with the results of the drug test? Holding the swab in the center of my mouth rather than betwixt cheek and gum? Smoking cigarettes before going in? I'm planning to have a very clean mouth, at the very least. Would it be better to be very hydrated (more diluted spit?) or dehydrated (dry mouth)? Are there any foods/legal drugs that would cause a false positive I could blame failing on to get a retest?

I know Mythbusters already proved that there's no way to fool a breathalyser, but there's got to be some way to nudge my chances a little on the oral swab test.

The only drug I'm concerned about is marijuana.

Pat-Smoking

Christ, what an asshole — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:12:38 -0800

Pot-smoking etiquette: when someone smokes you out, how long are you obligated to hang out with them? I like to be alone with my thoughts and music when I smoke. I always feel pressure to stay and entertain the company responsible for my altered state. What's a good cue to mark my escape?

Should I be tipping my dealer?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:44:42 -0800

For traveling drug dealers (specifically door-to-door marijuana delivery services in NYC), what is the etiquette for tipping? Yes? No? If yes, is there a standard accepted rate?